The Twisted Kunai
by Clumsy Psychopath
Summary: "You are a shinobi, not a samurai. So better start acting like one." these were the words that changed my life. With lies and deceit as tools of the trade, would I be able to surpass those, that came before me? AU.
1. Chapter 1: Here I Come

Yo... My first original story.

Disclaimer: Naruto does not belong to me.

Pairings: I don't think there is going to be any pairing at this stage. They are kids.

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 **Chapter 1: Here I Come**

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It was a beautiful Monday morning; the sun was shining brightly, the birds chirping, and the air filled with the sweet aroma of okonomiyaki wafting from a few vendors lining the streets.

A few villagers were out going about their business.

On one of these streets, in a village surrounded by trees, was an unremarkable apartment. It was here that it all started.

Inside the two-bedroom apartment was a boy deep in slumber. His face held six scars, three on either side, which combined with his sharp canines gave him a somewhat feral look. A rather small alarm clock resting on the right side of a clean white futon broke the peaceful silence.

* * *

I woke up at exactly six, just as I have for the past two years, readied the kettle for some tea, and got my morning chores done while I planned for the day.

Today was supposed to be my last day at the academy. Typically, it took a student four to six years to graduate. I did it in two. Some hailed me as a prodigy, while others condemned me. To them, I was nothing more than the bijū sealed inside me.

Also, well, you can't blame the villagers. The track records of past jinchūriki are not precisely unblemished. Yagura, the Yondaime Mizukage, is not helping the matter by going on rampages and ordering massacres. They have a valid reason to show their distrust.

When all your instincts scream at you to run away, to hide, you don't question it. Unless you have a brain injury or have severe suicidal tendencies, you run as fast as you can. Thousands of years of evolution gave us many gifts. Our brain is hard-wired to survive as best as we can. You are afraid of a snake even before knowing if it is venomous or not.

Snakes have nothing on the aura we jinchūriki, as the holders of the very forces of nature emit.

However, it's all right. The constant stares which once burned my back don't affect me anymore. The human mind is weird like that. It craves normalcy. Those stares and those hushed whispers are now what I consider normal.

I remember a time when I wanted their attention.

Not anymore.

I learned, and I understood. It's not as bad as it could have been. Compared to other jinchūriki, I have it easy. People usually gave me a wide berth and even when a confrontation became a necessity, they tried to keep their demeanour as formal as they can.

In the aftermath of the bijū attack, Sandaime in all his wisdom reined the hysteria by comparing the bijū in my gut with a sealed kunai. The villagers were somewhat placated, after all no one has ever heard of a kunai, no matter how sharp, release itself from sealed storage, and so they left me alone. A few went as far as protecting me from others. They didn't do it out of the goodness of their heart; they did it because they feared what might happen if someone mistakenly released my seal.

Hilarious, we both knew.

A kunai, when sealed in a paper, does not turn the paper, metallic, nor does it sharpens the article, whereas. A jinchūriki is more than just chakra sealed in a human body; When a person becomes a jinchūriki, he or she ceases to be human.

They change... fundamentally.

Poisons which would kill an adult shinobi in minutes would only keep us down for a few hours. Our eyesight never dulls, and it enhances our senses. The change is not just biological. Anger fuels the blood-lust of our inner demons and a broken heart is reason enough to annihilate a country. A jinchūriki's emotion is said to be the source of its power.

Suffice to say, civilians are not sharp, but it kept them in control, and that was enough.

"Did the Hokage lie? I thought he was an honourable man!" Is that what you're thinking?

Of course, he did. We are shinobi — not samurai. Lying and murdering is what we do; It's how we earn money, it's how we put food on our tables. And the best among us gets to be the Kage and lead us all.

However, I digress. The villagers listened to their Hokage and put their faith in his wisdom. After all, he was the "Professor". Not everyone believed him, but things calmed down, at least for the moment. Even after years, no one ever abused me, nor did anyone ever tried harming me. Those that did, paid with their lives.

My tea is ready. Breakfast consisted of white rice and raw eggs.

Where was I?

Oh, yes. The graduation day. The day I'd become a genin of the leaf, receive the infamous headband and with it the opportunity to get my name engraved on the memorial stone.

Ah yes, the memorial stone. The things we do to maintain our image. I'll be honest; no one remembers you after you die, except perhaps your teammates, or your parents; if you are lucky enough to have any.

They would tell you romantic tragedies of famous shinobi who died on missions and encourage you to do the same, to protect the village at the cost of your life.

I call it brainwashing.

To be frank, dying sucks... no one wants to die, what they do not mention regarding that everlasting glory is that the memorial stone gets replaced every few years and new names are etched except for a famous few, like that of Yondaime which are etched every time they erect a new memorial.

It should have been clear after all more than hundreds of shinobi die every year, and the memorial stone is not that big. So, if you, a no-name ninja thinks your name will stay beside Yondaime for eternity just because you died protecting the village, think again.

Once again I'm getting off the topic, am I not? Finally, I'm ready. After checking for any open windows and locking the door, I'm on my way to the academy.

Now, I know what you might be thinking.

"Even after knowing all this, why would you want to become a ninja?"

Let me tell you why.

The day I came to know of the ancient mass of chakra sealed inside me, was the day I decided to play it safe and stay as far away from shinobi business as possible, going civilian was tempting. It shocked the Hokage. He spent his entire day telling me tales about famous and powerful ninja of old. He told me of Senju Hashirama, the Shodai and his unmatched power. He even told me of his sensei Senju Tobirama, the Nidaime Hokage, and his unparalleled brilliance trying to make me see how similar I was.

I was not impressed with his attempt at manipulating a four-year-old.

The Hokage then told me about my father.

Believe me, if someone told you that your progenitor was powerful enough to single-handedly raze an entire army, fierce enough to tear in half the mightiest of nine bijū, knowledgeable enough to summon a god and yet compassionate enough to sacrifice himself for his village?

It does something to you. It sparks a flame in your heart.

It was the day I promised myself that I would rise above the ordinary. I would become a living legend. I would surpass my father.

Thinking back, I'm impressed. That sneaky old pile of bones surely deserves his hat.

Not to mention the minor fact that all orphans become a ninja.

I see gates in front of me. I'm at the academy.

Any action, even one as simple as going to the class, can be considered as physical training when people around you are twice your age. I look around and watch as they called kids taller than me one by one to show three randomly picked jutsu. I'm apprehensive, there are almost fifty jutsu in our syllabus, and a few of them are quite hard.

One by one, I look at my future comrades, and I'm not impressed.

Someone is calling me.

I saw sensei staring at me, waiting for me to approach.

I stood up, ready to walk the path of shinobi, just as my ancestors did before me. The only difference is that I will become the most powerful ninja in all history, and if a few died along the way, well... let's say disposing of a body is not that hard.

By the way, I never quite introduced myself. Did I?

I am Namikaze Naruto, age six. I like ramen, jutsu, reading and I belong to Konohagakure no Sato, weakest of the great five.

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 **Muse:**

It would be AU if you didn't already get the hint.

I'm back on this story and have decided to clean the story before posting a new chapter. Don't worry; I've not abandoned this fic. I've got great plans for this one.

Like it? Hate it? Please send me a review.

Stay tuned.

Cheers,

Clumsy Psychopath


	2. Chapter 2: A Lesson in History

Disclaimer: Naruto does not belong to me.

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 **Chapter 2: A Lesson in History**

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 _Recap: I am Namikaze Naruto, age six. I like ramen, jutsu, reading, and I belong to Konohagakure no Sato; weakest of the great five._

Hashirama Senju was one of the most respected shinobi in known history. What no one is going to tell you is why.

Oh sure, the people of Konoha will be willing to recite a thousand and one reasons as to why their Shodai was hailed as the god of shinobi. They will tell you of his prowess on the battlefield, his uncommon wisdom, his perfection of medical jutsu, his kind nature, his dream of peace…

You get the idea, don't you?

However, the fact few will be willing to admit openly is that he was a ruthless, cold-hearted killer.

In the era of clan wars, you either were fierce enough to annihilate your enemies or weak enough to be killed while you slept.

Hashirama of the Senju did something which no one ever thought was possible. He saved his clan from unnecessary bloodshed and made it the most prominent by combining it with the might of Uchiha. In a show of not only raw power but also of cunning, he took control of the second mightiest clan of its time from his once friend, Uchiha Madara.

Not to mention the fact that he came out smelling like roses.

He was a true shinobi, and for that, I respect the Senju.

Konohagakure no Sato was born.

Konoha, the alliance of Senju and Uchiha, only grew stronger with time, and one by one the enemies of the combined clans were killed, many families perished, and many others were forced to flee.

The Elemental Nations were in turmoil. The Senju and the Uchiha were by far some of the largest clans, and when they came together, their numbers grew into massive scale. Where once they relied on quality alone, now they also had the strength of numbers on their side.

It was the end of the warring era. The first great ninja war was afoot.

People were afraid. It was out of necessity that many other clans came together just like ours did. There was no other choice.

For some time it became a competition. Various fractions tried to gather as many clans as possible. Clans came together, either readily, or were defeated in battles and forced to merge with the more prominent clan.

Out of hundreds of small factions came nine factions. The power they held was not just of men but of nature itself, for they each held one bijū.

Nine villages, each mighty in their own right, became the centres of civilization. The fighting slowed, and people were lulled in a semblance of peace.

Love spread, and for a time it was as if the dream of Rikudō Sennin came true. However, it was not meant to last. Under the outer mask of peace existed a delicate balance of power held between the nine. Superbia, the sin of pride, took roots and villages turned on each other.

People thought the warring era was terrible. They were wrong. Where once hundreds of shinobi fought among each other, now thousands fought for dominance. Wars engulfed the world, and the price had to be paid.

Of the nine great villages, four fell. The bijū were once again free, and havoc reigned supreme.

The first to fall was Shimogakure no Sato, the land hidden in frost. Then came Hoshikagure no Sato, the land hidden among stars. Tsukigakure no Sato, the land hidden under the moon followed and the last to fall was Amegakure no Sato, the land hidden in the rain.

With no bijū and their militia spread thin, they lost everything they had. Their villages were pillaged by smaller ones. Their children killed before they could walk, their women raped, and their lands were stolen by the other five. They became a shadow of their former selves and a lesson in history, the history of the second great ninja war.

The world witnessed the dark side of humanity as heroes rose and fell until none of them wanted to fight anymore. However, to ask for peace was to show that you were weak, and none dared do that, for vultures roamed the sky.

A solution had to be found. The pride of a shinobi won't allow him to bend before another shinobi. So to bring peace, five brothers were chosen. Men incapable of wielding chakra. They were the diamyō, pillars of order. Shinobi pledged themselves and their clans to the diamyō.

Treaties were signed, and rules were made.

They knew what they were doing, and they dreaded the future. Where once thousands of shinobi fought for their Kage, they knew that should the war come again, hundreds of thousands would fight for their diamyō.

However, times were desperate, and there was no other option.

Finally, the war ended.

The village created by Senju Hashirama was now in the hands of his younger brother, Senju Tobirama. The man whose brilliance was unmatched at the time. He formed the academy, the structure of the village. It was he who wrote the laws of Konohagakure no Sato and established the means to enforce them.

The village was broke when the war came to an end, food was scarce, and villagers were leaving. The village was dying. It was Senju Tobirama who came up with the idea to hold together the fragile village.

For the next few decades, Shodai captured the bijū and the money earned by selling them to different villages was invested and reinvested into the village, making it the most powerful and influential of the great five.

Alas, nothing lasts forever. The golden age of Konoha ended the day Senju Tobirama died.

The leaders of our once-great village turned weak. The years of prosperity turned once mightiest of the village into a land of mediocrity. A few brilliant prodigies took birth in every generation, and the rest of the village lived on the laurels of their accomplishments.

The once fierce village was now nothing more than a few proud older men living off their former glory.

Pride is in some ways like alcohol, in that it gives you the feeling of invulnerability. You underestimate your enemies and take your friends for granted. It was at the end of the third great ninja war, that under the pretence of a peace treaty, that Kumo, Suna, and Iwa combined their total might to defeat one of the most powerful supporters the village hidden in the leaf had.

Uzu, the land hidden in the whirling tides, and my ancestral village, the seat of power held for centuries by one of the most advanced clan of its time, the Uzumaki, was attacked.

Resilient though their barriers were, even those were insufficient in the face of three great villages. Oh, they sure asked for help from their allies, they went on their knees and asked their brothers in all but blood, Konoha to help them hold back the incoming waves.

They were fools for placing so much trust in the fickle bonds of friendship.

Konoha, the once merger of two clans, was now a settlement of more than twenty, and none were eager to let their families be killed in a fight they knew was lost.

None but Senju Mito. She remembered the calling of her blood. In a single decision of unprecedented stupidity, she undid all the plans and safeguards Senju Hashirama, her late husband, took to protect his clan.

She led every able-bodied Senju to defend her home and in the process made Uzushiogakure the final grave of both, the Uzumaki and the Senju.

For that, I mock the Senju.

The battle of Uzushiogakure was not only one of the bloodiest but also one of the most devastating conflicts in known history. While Konoha lost almost half of its founding clan, the enemies were facing their problems, as most of their army was wiped out.

No one won.

The name of Senju slowly but surely disappeared. A few were killed, others assassinated, and yet others died in the battles. Their numbers dwindled and fell until just one remained. Senju Tsunade, the most prominent medic of our time, whose raw power is but a glimpse of our past, the power that we lost, the blood that we diluted.

The war continued for a few more months, until the time when the legend that was Yondaime did the unthinkable. Namikaze Minato, a shinobi born in the heat of battle, was hailed as once a generation genius. Using nothing but his intellect, he perfected the weapon created by the Nidaime and, in a show of power unseen since the time of warring era; he laid waste to the land of Earth.

A force of thousands was decimated within minutes. Such was his ire that none dared to stand before him. Kumo retreated into the mountains, Suna hid in the desert and Iwa, so scared of the now crowned fourth Hokage, declared a flee on sight order. For a village to declare an order such as this equals the admission that none, neither it's Kage nor the combined force of the entire village, was powerful enough to stand before a single man.

The third great ninja war came to an abrupt halt, thanks to my father.

Iwa was angry. Their village, their belief and their pride were questioned, and they were unable to answer in kind. Sandaime Tsuchikage, Ryōtenbin no Ōnoki took into consideration their loss and made a tactical retreat.

Despite the odds, Konoha once again came on the top.

It was on October 10, the Yondaime and his most trusted members of ANBU were standing in front of a cave, in a location known to few, waiting for his legacy. He could hear his wife whimpering in pain and then in relief as his son arrived into this world.

He was elated.

However, the happiness was not destined to last. The cave was attacked by a rogue ninja, and every single ANBU was killed except for one, the then fifteen-year-old Hatake, who would grow on to despair and hate his life. His inability to protect his sensei and perhaps the last vestige of his family would gnaw him for years to come. In his quest to never lose a teammate again he would go on to become a man feared through the elemental nations, his dedication earning him the name of Reiketsu Kakashi, Cold-Blooded Kakashi.

In the events that followed, the Ky _ū_ bi no kitsune was released from its container. Hundreds died trying to protect their village and their families. It was not until the fourth himself arrived on his massive toad summon that hope returned.

But not even the yellow flash, the murderer of thousands and the most powerful human in the world fighting alongside his summon, the clan of whose was believed to be the companion of Rikudō Sennin himself, was powerful enough to harm the kitsune.

When nothing seemed to be working, the forth decided to protect his village with the ultimate sacrifice. Wielding knowledge lost in the annals of time, he summoned the bringer of death himself.

For a moment, time stilled, the Kyūbi and all its killer intent seemed dull in comparison to the surge of power that came with the arrival of Shinigami. Even the massive fox paused for a moment before continuing his onslaught.

As the harbinger of death stood, he saw before him an insignificant figment of the massive universe. A person that if compared, would result in less than a single grain of sand on a seaside. The man was ready to sacrifice his life to protect his home.

It was funny how humans thought so highly of themselves. He remembered a time when there was a sage, a man powerful enough to declare himself god, and not even the Kami would have been foolish enough to question him. However, he didn't, such was his modesty.

Compared to the sage, these were mere insects.

How dare they?

It angered him how these puny humans thought of their lives important enough to offer it as a sacrifice. What need would he have of these creatures? What need does he have of their useless souls? He raised his hand to smite the very earth before him. It was then that he looked into the eyes of the mortal standing before him and saw the desperation it held.

The Shinigami paused, not but a moment ago, he was considering killing every single being within the horizon. However, where there is death, there is life. No one knows what went through the mind of the elder god when in a bout of generosity, he decided to grant this one request.

But not even the god of death was capable of vanquishing the nine tails completely; such was the might of kitsune.

The Shinigami tore apart the beast in two, the yin and yang. He sealed the yin chakra into the very soul of the man that stood before him, before taking it and dispersing into dimensions unknown.

The yang chakra, lacking a mental manifestation, took to the closest source of yin it could find; Into the body of the young Namikaze. Unknown to it was the seal placed on the babe's body. Once inside, the fox was unable to release itself of the cursed bars made with the knowledge of Uzumaki.

All this happened within a fraction of second. One moment the village was facing a risk of imminent destruction and the next, everything was quiet. And then they saw their beloved Hokage falling through the skies as his summon disappeared.

The village was almost lost.

Hundreds of shinobi died, and in the wake of the disaster, Iwa saw an opportunity to reclaim its honour. The hidden leaf was attacked once again.

It was only through the intervention of fire diamyō that our complete annihilation was prevented.

Iwa retreated, but the cost was high, perhaps too high. The Kyūbi was sealed completely, stopping its flow of chakra into young Namikaze's body, and in the process cutting off a future threat in the bud itself.

The council of our village was desperate, the Sandaime was not getting any younger, and they had just lost their jinchūriki. The future looked bleak.

Thus the village hidden in the leaf, once mightiest of the five, fell.

We cried tears of blood while our enemies rejoiced. However, we shall be avenged, this, I promise. They should have killed me when they had the chance.

* * *

"Show us _Katon_ : Gōkakyū no _Jutsu_." I heard sensei say.

Becoming a genin is the first step.

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 **Muse:**

Like it? Hate it? Review and share your opinions…

As I said earlier, massive AU.

Spent this chapter going through the basic history of my AU, many of you must be confused about "weakest of the great five, part". I've read several fics, and they all start with an overpowered Naruto. I want to do something different here.

This will be a rise to power story.

Please pay attention to the small details I've changed in history.

Also, this will be the only chapter solely dedicated to background history; I will try to make the rest of the story as mysterious as I possibly can.

Stay tuned.

Cheers,

Clumsy Psychopath


	3. Chapter 3: Team two

Disclaimer: Naruto does not belong to me.

* * *

 **Chapter 3: Team two**

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 _Recap: "_ Show us _Katon_ : Gōkakyū no _Jutsu" I heard sensei say. Becoming a genin is the first step._

Compared to a few other things that I've done in my admittedly short life, the genin exam was comparably easier.

After a show of Katon, Henge and Replacement jutsu, we were sent to the academy training grounds to test our taijutsu skills.

My first fight was against a Hyūga. Moreover, let me tell you something, upon the activation of their bloodline, those eyes are terrifying to look at.

Looking with those all-seeing eyes of hers, she came sat me. I caught a slight hesitance in her steps.

I knew why.

Most people underestimate the power of reputation. I had that in spades. Those who heard my name are reminded of the strength I could one day wield.

My grades were nothing to scoff at either.

I took advantage of her momentary vacillation. A punch in the coeliac plexus followed by a roundhouse kick to her skull left her dazed and me a winner.

The matches were not held separately for males and females.

Taijutsu or the art of empty-handed combat is not just a raw show of physical force. It has a method, a flow; it is a form of art in itself.

Unlike street brawling, where you take advantage of your physical mass to overcome your opponent, here techniques are used. Chakra enhanced kicks and punches are thrown. Bones are shattered, and in a rare few cases, students die.

In a fight such as these, your gender matters little and girls are often as vicious as guys. In most cases, they have the unfair advantage of having better chakra

Since the physical body of a female develops faster and often before a male, they usually have a shorter supply of yang chakra. In most cases, it would be a hindrance. A short supply of yang chakra meant that you could not throw around jutsu as quickly.

However, it's not all bad. Since they get more time to get acclimated to the chakra in their bodies, from an age so young, they have better control than most men.

The small quantity is thus compensated by better quality.

Not to mention the minor fact that most of the boys can't seem to win against the fairer sex. They underestimate their opponent, and the results are fatal.

Merciless was the word of the day.

I defeated every one of them.

The exams finished with a round of s _hurikenjutsu_. Two of the fifteen shurikens I threw were a little off-centre. I needed to work more on my precision.

"I wish they also had a genjutsu test; I would have totally aced it." I heard a redhead girl standing on my right boast to her friends.

I always had a soft spot in my heart for redheads. Maybe it's because my mother was one.

Speaking of genjutsu, I'm glad they don't have practicals for genjutsu. It is one of the few things I'm terrible at.

And not for the lack of trying. I remember spending countless nights trying to learn the basics of genjutsu and yet the fact remains that I simply cannot.

Going to the teachers was useless. They never understood my needs. To them, I was simply a child trying to play big, bad ninja.

Oh, sure they acknowledged my genius, they feared my potential, they knew of my dedication, but even so, they refused to see me as an adult. They refused to respect me.

So I went to the old man, Hokage. After researching for a few weeks, we came to a plausible explanation.

You see, for a normal jinchūriki creating and dispelling a genjutsu is not that hard. The only thing they needed to do is master their chakra flow. The quantity of source was not something that came into the equation.

The foreign chakra present in our chakra coil is made of yin and yang just like any other ninja, albeit in a much more concentrated way.

In my case, there is a little added complication. As I grew the yang chakra in me kept on increasing but since it came from two sources; my body, which was a variable source and the bijū, which was a constant source, it created a dis-balance in my body destroying any chance of me ever mastering the art of controlling yin chakra.

Genjutsu at its base is the pinnacle of yin manipulation.

Theoretically, it was still possible. However, for that, both my yin and yang chakra would have to be as high as that of the bijū sealed in me, and then I'll have to use up all my yang chakra leaving yin, which shall be mine and yang that of the Kyūbi. Only when both chakra come in harmony would I be able to use Genjutsu.

If I can't kill my enemy with chakra reserves equaling that of the greatest bijū, I don't think using Genjutsu will have any effect either.

Not to mention, how in Sennin's name am I supposed to get that much chakra?

"The grades would be finalized in a week; you all are free to go." I heard sensei announce.

I packed my books and scrolls into the bag, collected and placed my weapons in their hostlers and then headed for the training ground.

After sparring against my classmates for an entire day, all I wanted was a peaceful rest, but needs came first, and I needed to increase my accuracy. Nothing less than perfect was good enough.

The sun was almost over the horizon. It would be dark in a couple of minutes.

Someone was headed towards me. I collected my tools and tried exiting the grounds as discretely as possible, "tried" being the keyword.

"Hey! You're Naruto, right? You must be some sort of once a century prodigy. Everyone was going on and on about how you are the second coming of Yondaime himself." the redhead I saw earlier in the day called out to me.

Not really, Sharingan no Kakashi and Ichizokugoroshi no Itachi were both better than me. They passed on to become genin at five.

Of course, I didn't say that out aloud. If they think I'm the most significant person since Rikudō Sennin himself, who am I to dissuade them of their notion?

What annoyed me was the comparison. Yes, I am proud of my father. Yes, I know he was a great and powerful man. No, I don't need you to compare me with my dad. Thank you very much.

"…"

"Oh, sorry! I forgot to introduce myself; I'm Kurama Ayumu."

"…"

And now you know why I called genjutsu as "one" of my weakness. Social interaction is my second.

Handing reports, asking a question from my social superiors, buying things from shops. Situations like those never bothered me, but talking to someone my age?

Suffice to say small talk is not my forte.

"Are you trying to ignore me?" She tried once again.

"May I help you with something Kurama-san?" I tried asking with a fake smile. I hope she gets the hint and backs off.

"Actually yes, can you please help me look for my kunai? I kinda forgot them in the grounds after the shurikenjutsu exam." Apparently not.

Deep breaths, I told myself, ending your graduation day with a kill won't look good on the report card.

"I'm s..."

"Thank you, thank you, thank you. You just saved me from a lot of trouble, My aunt hates it when I lose my weapons." she continued.

Kami, I hate helping people. I believe people should be self-sufficient and not annoy others.

The hour that followed was spent looking for her weapons on my knees. It was degrading.

"Thank you so much; you are not that bad. Most of our classmates are quite a bit afraid of interacting with you," she spoke suddenly.

With good reasons, I'm sure. Does she not have any sense of self-preservation? I look at the kunai in my hands. Killing her would be so much easier. Just one cut and I would be free to head home and eat my dinner in peace.

After a few more minutes, my humiliation ended. My eyes twitched as I saw her throw all those weapons roughly in a backpack and put it on her shoulders.

"See you soon." she chirped.

I hope not; I could only take so much positivity in one day.

As we departed, I looked back at her. That was the most extended conversation I had with anyone this month.

Dinner consisted of ramen. I was too tired to go and cook something for myself.

Sleep came early that night.

The next week passed in a blur. I caught the Hokage practising calligraphy in his office. Upon being questioned, he handed me a book on basic f _ūinjutsu_ and its applications and went back to his work.

Now, the Hokage is not the most accessible person in this village. Sometimes you had to make an appointment week in advance to get a meeting. However, being a jinchūriki had its perks.

As the son of Yondaime, I got priority and being the Kage that he was, he took the de facto guardianship of his village's little weapon of mass destruction.

Still, I like to think that he loved me.

The days that followed were spent in the library, trying to understand what half the words in that book meant. It was then that I came across the clan of my mother, the Uzumaki.

Besides the apparent long life and high endurance, two things gave my ancestors their edge; Their chakra chains which were said to be powerful enough to hold a bijū and their fūinjutsu. The way I saw it, those were my inheritance.

Chakra chains were out since my current capacity was not that great, so I started on my quest to become a fūinjutsu specialist.

Days and nights, I spent trying to perfect the art of calligraphy. The soul of fūinjutsu is the art of writing. To understand a seal is to capture the very essence of the matter, space and time that gave something its form.

I was euphoric for me. It was pure ecstasy. Finally, I came across something challenging.

And a challenge indeed it was, to master an art without a teacher but I was never the sort to back down.

As I opened the book, in my mind, I was sure; I would become the greatest fūinjutsu master ever. I would decimate armies with ruins and challenge gods with nothing more than seals and the knowledge to manipulate it.

However, first, I needed to learn how to hold a brush properly.

The week came to a quick end, and once again, I found myself sitting in the class, besides a window observing the poster stuck on the wall beside the blackboard.

It held the three laws written by Senju Tobirama that were drilled in our heads every day.

Love the village and hope to help preserve its peace and prosperity. I have no love for anyone other than myself.

Be healthy in mind and body. I'm a jinchūriki.

Have a mind that will not yield, able to endu…

"Caw Caw" My vision shifted to a pair of crows flying outside. It's fascinating how creatures simple as these can weave a nest so complex, and yet are foolish enough to feed a cuckoo.

"The results have arrived, Namikaze Naruto is rookie of the year." I heard the announcement. It was expected. A few cheered while others looked downtrodden. Bested by someone half their age must feel embarrassing. I wouldn't know.

He went around telling each student of their result, pointing out the mistakes they made in their exams and handing out our forehead protectors. It was boring, and slowly I drifted away once again thinking of the adventurous life that a crow inevitably must lead.

Few jōnin entered the class — time to pay more attention.

"...Team two" sensei announced.

The fact that I've yet to ask someone, our sensei's name is not something to be proud of.

"Namikaze Naruto…" Good, my team is going to be the best there would be. We'd do undercover missions, bring armies to its knees and lead our village to its former glory.

"..Nara Shigezane..." Not bad, it could have been better, but I'll take what I'm getting. At least he had a good head on his shoulders. He'll come in handy while making plans.

"..Kurama Ayumu" We are going to die. I hate this team formation.

For a moment, I wonder what might happen if I pulled a Momochi and killed everyone here. Then again, the few jōnin standing in front of me would be more than enough to handle and overpower a newly minted genin.

"You would be trained under Hyūga Hizashi." I saw our future sensei standing in a corner with a headband on his forehead.

To be much more precise, I saw a Hyūga with the hitai-ate on his forehead.

A branch member as my sensei? I need to find the person responsible for destroying my future.

Years later, I would realize how foolish I used to be. No way they would let just anyone train their greatest weapon.

The three of us followed our jōnin sensei to an unused training ground. These were pretty common nowadays. I once heard some jōnin say how they used to be filled all the time. However, since the attack of Kyūbi and the subsequent war, our population and economy took a massive dip.

With the arrival of the new generation, things were getting better. But not fast enough, it seems.

"All right, introduce yourself." Hizashi sensei… was that an order or a request? He is soft-spoken.

Then again, the ferocious people who wage wars and violently kill each other are not the ones you should be afraid of.

The genuinely nefarious people were the one who killed in cold-blood and then went home to pet their cats.

Immediately, the respect he held in my eyes skyrocketed.

"My name is Kurama Ayumu," The redhead started "the last of my clan. I am eleven and love playing tricks. Genjutsu is my speciality." she looked at me with eyes full of expectation.

Taking the cue, I started "I am Namikaze Naruto."

I saw them looking at me as if expecting something more.

A minute passed in awkward silence, I could have told them about my plans of world domination or that I wanted to become the greatest shinobi ever to live, but something told me that it would lead to even more awkward silences. Shrugging our sensei looked towards the third member of our team.

"I am Nara Shigezane, eleven. I have boatloads of chakra. I like solving puzzles and debating about battle tactics."

A worthy teammate.

"I am Hyūga Hizashi; I love practising taijutsu, and my dream is to see the world become a better place. A place where everyone is treated equally, a place where there is no violence."

I looked into his eyes. As experienced as I am, even I was unable to catch the lie; such was his proficiency.

He basically told us that he dreamt of a utopia where there would be no ninja.

This. Is. Dedication.

Honing even a simple skill such as lying to such utter perfection. I had tears of admiration in my eyes.

"From today onward you would be team Hizashi."

He took us to a barbecue shop for our lunch. On the face, it just looked like a sensei indulging his students, giving them a treat. However, I saw the ploy for what it was.

He was establishing camaraderie between us three so that we won't leave behind our teammates to die, should things go south on a mission.

He was foolish to think that I would risk my neck to save someone else.

"Naruto, Have some fish." I heard him speak.

He knew what I was thinking. It was his way of subtly indicating that a single rotten fish, that was me; can spoil the whole pond that is, our team. The game was on.

I nodded.

"All right, meet me at ground two, tomorrow at six." He said, getting up, leaving us three to talk and get comfortable around each other.

I suspected that he was spying on me, checking to monitor my behaviour around my future teammates. I tried to find him but was unable to do so.

I was once again impressed. Few were skilful enough to mask themselves from my senses; being an Uzumaki gave me a minor boost in sensing chakra, and yet I failed to find him.

"Hey, would you guys like to come over at my place? It's big, and no one except my aunt and me live there…" Kurama was looking at us hopefully.

"Sure." Nara accepted.

"I'm sorry…" I hastily interrupted, remembering the last time, when I was too slow to respond.

"I have some work to do," I explained. Of course, I was busy, you don't just learn fūinjutsu, you have to spend time and effort, and every minute I was wasting with my teammates was a minute I could have spent upgrading my skills.

"Oh." she was saddened. I had no idea why maybe it's something Nara did; I wasn't paying much attention.

I got up and took my leave.

Usually, I would have just up and left, but in the past week, I read several books about human psychology and emotions. I like to think that I've perfected the art.

I went home and sat in front of a desk with rice paper resting on the table and a brush in my hand.

Jiji once told me that I could be too obsessive at times, I call it being diligent.

The day soon turned to night and soon, once again, it was time to face my team. Although not looking forward to it, I can't help but feel excited to learn from a sensei so talented.

I arrived at my destination two hours early and was not surprised to find our teacher missing.

Of course, he would hide. I understood what he was doing. Searching him would be the initiation, the first thing he would teach us, well… me. I can't seem to find my teammates.

Their loss.

The next hour was spent looking for him. I failed. It was expected, he was an elite jōnin.

Maybe he was trying to teach me something else. A person never hides in a place where it was expected of him to disappear. I had to look underneath the underneath. So I went to the Hyūga compound only to find my master doing menial labour.

All modesty aside my stealth was second to few, I was even able to hide from ANBU, the one time I tried to bring a bit more… colour to the lives of our past Hokage.

Sensei wasn't fooled, he was smiling as he continued sweeping the compound.

I knew I passed the test, but it was his actions that had the most significant impact on me. I was humbled. To see a jōnin such as him sweep a compound manually taught me the subtle art of infiltration. Sometimes power was not enough; you must blend in with the commoners and learn their trade.

I took my lesson and came back to ground two.

Kurama and Nara were already waiting for me. Nara gave a nod; I respected his wish to sleep in peace and left him undisturbed.

"What took you so long?" Kurama asked.

"I was learning something." I'm sure they received their lessons. Telling them what I learned was useless.

Had sensei wanted to teach them what he taught me, he would have done so.

With a silent shunshin, sensei arrived and gave us a nod. I understood his signal and nodded back, as did Nara. Either he was awake or a fortunate guy. I was unsure, but looking more into it was a waste of time.

The morning was spent with sensei working on different jutsu and chakra control techniques, the afternoon, doing D-rank missions.

Having learnt the importance of menial labour the morning itself, I never once complained. Even the simplest of the task was done with complete concentration. My teammates declared me mad, but the smile on sensei's face told me that he acknowledged my efforts.

He knew that the lesson he taught me wasn't wasted, and to me, that was all that mattered.

No one in the village did as much D-rank as I did. During the next year, I completed six hundred and thirty-four missions. It would take twenty one more years to break that record, Lee came close, but even he with all his power of youth was unable to surpass my dedication.

Slowly but surely, Kurama and Nara also developed and although they were not on the same scale as me, at least I was not ashamed to introduce them as my teammates.

It was on one of these missions that I was sent to babysit the last loyal Uchiha. Uchiha Itachi became my idol after he murdered his entire clan previous year to test his prowess.

Alone one night, he decided to test his skill and killed every member of his clan — everyone, except his little brother.

I felt him. Life would have been boring had he killed everyone; at least now, he had a brother to look forward to.

His achievements were the precedence, which inspired me to become just as great, and for that, I shall forever thank him.

I decided to give my token of thanks to the man who became my source of inspiration and turned a broken, crying young boy into an avenger. In the days that followed, I taught Sasuke in my ways.

Moreover, in doing so, I gave Uchiha Itachi the last gift.

The mission office was surprised to see the change in Sasuke's attitude. They were impressed. His tearful thanks proved that it was I, who helped him get over his trauma. I too was happy; it wasn't everyday you gave a wanderer a goal to strive for. He almost hugged me when I gave him tomatoes.

Almost. I would never let someone hug me. They call it paranoia, I call it playing on the safe side.

I knew the book on human psychology and emotions was a good read.

Slowly the days blurred into weeks, weeks to months, and months to a year. We spent our time practising with sensei and doing D-ranked missions along with an occasional C-rank. I spent my time learning fūinjutsu while the other two focused on their clan arts.

I took my master's teachings to heart. Although seldom he showed it, I knew that he cared for me. Why else would he teach me those minor details personally?

Once when I smiled and nodded at him after a lesson secretly taught, he looked at me funny. I understood the error of my ways. He was teaching me things he never taught to other two on my team, and me nodding might expose that partiality of his. I never repeated my mistake, but the respect he held in my eyes grew even more.

It was on one beautiful sunny morning that I found myself with Kurama and Nara waiting for our sensei to arrive. I knew he was trying to teach us the virtue of patience, but my teammates didn't agree with me.

Such fools they were, I sighed.

He came, and the day's routine began once again. After a couple of D-ranks, he took us to a joint.

"I don't have anything else to teach you, my students." He said.

"Whatcha talking about sensei? Don't you like us anymore? Is that the reason you are leaving us?" Kurama tried speaking.

"Swallow your food before speaking, Ayumu." Nara stopped her.

It was a miracle that her glare didn't vaporize Nara on the spot. Considering that we are shinobi, it was a viable outcome.

"Its time for the yearly exams and I think you are worthy enough to become chūnin," sensei explained.

"I would not disappoint you, sensei," I promised with fiery determination.

Becoming a chūnin was the second step.

* * *

Orochimaru was a creature of precision and perfection, years ago, when he was a part of hidden leaf he created bio-weapons for his country. Weapons so powerful and effective, that his name was cemented as one of the most powerful men in the elemental nation.

While Konoha would never admit it freely, half the technology they used came from his laboratories.

So what if he had his ambition? An ambition to perfect immortality. To learn all that there was. To understand the very source and nature of chakra.

If a few lives are what it takes to achieve greatness, then be it so.

The village hidden in the leaf knew of his… extra-curricular activities long before they intervened. How could they not with all the spies and informants they had?

However, no one said anything; it was thought to be a trade profitable enough for the leaf. The village would give him a place to live and continue his experiments; in return, he would fight for the village.

It worked; everyone was satisfied.

When the third great ninja war came to an abrupt halt, Namikaze Minato was crowned as the Hokage.

Orochimaru was upset. Having thought of finally getting the appreciation he deserved for serving the hat successfully for past years, his annoyance was perfectly understandable. It left him frustrated that his sensei chose an up and coming ninja over him, his best student.

However, he maintained his silence. His work continued, and none were too sad about losing a few orphans.

His life changed the day he heard of Edo Tensei _._ The fourth inherited a technique created by the Nanadaime and perfected it to become what he was. Surely, he would be permitted to learn a technique of his choosing. Or so he thought.

However, it was not to happen; The fourth had read of the technique and fearing the application, he branded it a kinjutsu.

Orochimaru was enraged. After almost a year of thoughtful planning, he decided to steal the scroll. The plan was perfect, and he did manage to take the scroll without much trouble.

It was upon reaching his hideout that his luck ran out. As soon as he opened the scroll, a tiny seal hidden in the bottom activated and the Hokage was informed of not only the heist but also of the scroll's current location.

Minato was not happy. Everyone knew what had happened, but none had the proof to back them up. To prove his worth as a Kage, he decided to set an example.

The plan was to invade his laboratories with Sandaime and a squad of ANBU. Orochimaru was to be killed, and his student brought to academy. It was necessary to save Mitarashi, for had they not done so, Konoha would have lost the snake contract.

The plan failed. When ANBU came to capture the Sannin, he was about to introduce his student to the joys of science.

Holding Anko as his hostage, he managed to give them the slip but not before killing his student.

The scroll was recovered, but the damage had already been done. The mission was an unmitigated disaster; it was classified as S-rank and Orochimaru branded a traitor.

It was months later when the snake sannin was going through the forest that he met Zetsu.

His curiosity was spiked when Zetsu made an offer, an offer to join the ranks of S-ranked missing nins.

Orochimaru was introduced to the Akatsuki.

Akatsuki was an organization headed by Pein. No one ever actually saw him, but then again no one needed to see him to feel the aura of power he held.

Those eyes of Samsara were surely something.

The members of Akatsuki worked in pairs, and Orochimaru was paired with Zetsu.

Zetsu fascinated him in ways few ever did before; they formed a companionship, unlike others. His capability to merge into the ground confused the snake for months. It was nothing like any jutsu the snake sannin had ever seen.

It was when he finally took and studied Zetsu's cell that he realized how close he was to his ultimate ambition. After all, a plant doesn't need to die. If his tests were correct, Zetsu was over a thousand years old.

Edo Tensei was a waste of time. Why come back from dead when you can prevent death itself?

A few months went by, and finally, the day came when Orochimaru was ready to implement his plan. Zetsu was captured.

However, soon, he found out that mixing his cells with that of Zetsu's won't work. The process was correct; the readings perfect, the fault lied in his cells. They were weak. They died or were overtaken by those of Zetsu's.

To encounter this problem, there was but one solution. He had to find someone whose bloodline was powerful enough to rival that of Zetsu.

He smiled as he saw the redhead lying in front of him. She was tied with chakra enforced shackles and kept in a perpetual state of unconsciousness for the past six years.

Finally, he was ready to transcend to godhood; everything was going as planned.

"Hello, Kushina-san, How are you faring today? kukukukuku"

* * *

 **Muse:**

Like it? Hate it? Review and share your opinions…

I've read a few fics where authors had guys and girls take a separate exam for taijutsu. I am not too fond of it. For them, I have two words, Tsunade Senju.

Ayumu means dream.

Shigezane is related to darkness and shadow. Not sure, let me know if you know.

Yes, Hizashi is alive. His name means sunlight.

I do not plan on including any genin test. I feel that the number of active shinobi must be quite low after all those wars and attacks. If a kid is bent on attempting suicide, his loss. Considering the fact that most of them were orphans, who is going to protest for them?

At this point in the story, Orochimaru had not yet discovered the way to reanimate dead people; he was using Edo Tensei as a means to find immortality.

As of now, the story is mostly Naruto remembering what it was like growing up. Some of the things you observe may come off as inconsistent, like Naruto knowing about his clan(in the last chapter) before he learnt about it(in this chapter), it is not so… You don't necessarily reminiscence about your experience in chronological order.

Our favourite character, a bit oblivious, paranoid, and tends to overthink things as you saw in this chapter. He is a ninja and has been trained since he was four; of course, he has some issues.

It's still going to be dark; the characters will undergo developments as they grow up.

Stay tuned.

Cheers,

Clumsy Psychopath


	4. Chapter 4: Chūnin Exams

Disclaimer: Naruto does not belong to me.

* * *

 **Chapter 4: Chūnin Exams**

* * *

 _Recap: "Hello, Kushina-san, How are you faring today? Kukukukuku"_

The day started like any other.

I woke up to find a couple of inkwells dribbling thick black liquid all over the futon. I must have fallen asleep while practicing fūinjutsu.

What started as a challenge has soon turned into an all-out war, and I'm on the losing side. Learning fūinjutsu on your own is next to impossible. I learned this the hard way; the numerous scorch marks on the walls can attest to that.

Not to mention the countless nights I had to stay in hospitals. Burns are painful on their own, add to them some chakra, and you have a wound agonizing enough to make a war veteran cry.

But I will not accept defeat. The art of seal creation is in my blood. I can feel it. Or maybe, it's just the morphine.

I took a quick bite and readied my equipment.

Speaking of equipment, I seriously need to buy some new kunai and shuriken. In the past few months, I've been trying to cut my cost to the bare minimum.

The ink I've been using is not cheap.

Seal creation is a rare art. In addition to that, the economy of Konoha is not the strongest, and there is only so much allowance I'm allowed each month. Suffice to say that my accounting prowess has developed far more in the past few months than my prowess over… anything.

I got ready and headed out to the field. Today was supposed to be the final day of my genin life.

As usual, I find Nara looking at the clouds. What is so fascinating about them, I can not for the life of me comprehend. Then again, maybe it's a Nara thing.

Actually, every prominent clan in our village has its quirk. The Akimichi are healthier than most boss summons, The Hyūga act nobler than the diamyō, and The Uchiha used to have an unhealthy fascination with fire.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that looking at clouds and sleeping randomly is not the worst quirk out there.

At least Nara had a personality; I wish I can say the same about Kurama. How can she be so chirpy every morning is a complete mystery to me. It must be a clan secret.

No wonder all her clan is dead. After all, no one can take that much positivity. Come to think of it, the bijū with all their negative energy must have been initially created to fight against her clan.

Hmm… A thought for some other time perhaps.

I spot sensei arriving.

In his hand are the yellow forms — the ones which will take me one step closer to becoming the most powerful shinobi in history.

Wait… What is he holding in his other hands? It looks like a box covered with some sort of shiny paper. Is that… a trap? Maybe a bomb… as a final test perhaps…  
I have heard many instructors make their students kill an animal, usually a puppy or a kitten as the ultimate test before allowing them to proceed to the chūnin exams.

It looks like I'll be eating some hot dog tonight.

"My students," sensei began, "I'm so proud of you."

"Here are the forms for entering the chūnin exams. This year they are going to be held in Suna." He continued handing out the forms.

I took my form and quickly filled it as did the other two while he continued explaining to us the history of chūnin exams. Contrary to what you might assume, we do not go around pasting our photographs in every bureaucratic paper out there. The only picture they take of us is during graduation.

Ninja are trained to be as inconspicuous as they possibly can.

My teammates did the same and returned their forms to sensei.

"There may be a chance that you fail, or that you are not granted the position of chūnin -" I heard him say in a somber tone.

You have to understand the exact situation going on here. Konoha is weak. Chūnin exams are a farce. The entire goal of this exam is to maintain the status quo between five villages and show flashy skills.

Most clients do not find a precise needle to nervus terminalis entertaining enough.

Not to forget the unfavorable odds, we as Konoha nin are going to face. Unless and until we completely and utterly crush everyone out there, there is little chance of other Kage recognizing us worthy of chūnin.

But as I said earlier, it's all a farce. Regardless of what the other Kage say we will be promoted to chūnin if our village deemed us powerful enough.

"— but in my eyes, you are already chūnin." He continued.

"As a mark of your growth I've decided to give you guys gifts to remember our time together." There goes my hot dog.

He gave a box to each of us. Unsurprisingly I got the biggest box. I always knew sensei loved me the most, but this is plain favoritism. I didn't blush… I didn't.

Inside the box was the most beautiful pair of sai I had ever come across.

Elegant and deadly.

I took them out and gave them a quick swing trying to get a feel. I've attempted using sai a couple of times in the past, but mostly I try to make do with kunai.

The reason being my small hands.

That and kunai is much cheaper.

These were perfect. It felt as if they were made for me.

"I got them custom-made for you, Naruto." My hunch was right.

I look around. Nara received a set of throwing knives; he never had any talent for close-ranged combat and Kurama got… earrings. Huh.

"Alright, all of you, time to head home and pack your belongings. We will be heading to Suna tomorrow." He announced.

"Be ready at the main gate by four." Nara took to the walls, and Kurama started running. I also concentrated chakra in my feet for a quick Shunshin.

"Wait a moment, Naruto." I heard sensei calling.

Ah! The hot dog. Here I come.

"Do you know why I gave you sai and not the others? I could have given all three of you the same gift, but I chose to give you the most powerful weapon and not them." He asked.

"Because buying three pairs of custom-made sai would be too expensive?" I have much more appreciation for accounting than I used to.

He laughed.

I like it when he laughs. Maybe it is because I lack a father figure. Sometimes I dream of the fourth looking at me with those eyes.

"Besides that?" So this is going to be one of those trick questions he liked to ask.

I shrugged.

"I've seen you grow, Naruto. You used to be disconnected, had no friends. Even now, while you do look after your teammates, you look at them more like children than comrades." I never questioned his astute power of observation.

"You are more mature than them, and I respect you for it. I may not always be there to protect those two, but you will." I was quiet.

"I gave you two sai, Naruto, one to protect Ayumu and the other to protect Shigezane. Look after them when I'm gone." I saw the sadness in his eyes.

Nothing truly lasts. No one is immortal. Sensei knew his fate and has accepted it.

"I promise." I gave him a small nod and left.

Guess I won't be eating meat tonight.

I opened my door and turned on the light.

Placing the sai in the corner, I went around the room collecting things I might need for this trip. I pity the poor souls who have to pack. Luckily, I have seals to do those for me. Not the packing part, rather the storing part. Seals are quite expensive in the open market, but I've grown adept enough in the art of fūinjutsu to create simple storing seals.

I know many fūin techniques other than simple sealing but sealing somehow came more natural to me. After quickly sealing everything and placing the scroll in the drawer, I went out to practice with my new toy.

Night arrived, and in my dreams, I was sealing something or someone, I can't remember. Next day, I woke up early, took my seals, and headed out to the main gate.

Exiting the village was a simple affair. We gave our papers to the guards stationed at the gate and headed out.

The procedure is similar for almost all the village that I know of. Even though it might appear lax, it is anything but that, of that you can have my word. The guards on the gate are just the first layer of security.

No chakra user can enter or exit the village walls without leaving a trace unless they know exactly what they are doing. And if someone is powerful enough to evade the trace, a bunch of guards won't be a problem for them.

The real security is set up outside the wall. Traps are laid all around the wall up to a certain distance, and regular patrol takes care of the rest. The exact details of which are known only to the Hokage.

And even if someone is capable enough to get past all the traps, hide themselves from the hundreds of thousands of Aburame insects looking specifically for something out of order, evade the trace, fool the ANBU and the entire spy network of Konoha, they still would not be able to hide themselves from the crystal ball which is made specifically to show intruders in the village.

So yes, breaching the village defense is hard. The same goes for exiting the village. All you have to do is look underneath the underneath, and you will know why exactly we call them 'Hidden Villages.'

The journey to Suna was not as exciting as I thought it would be.

I've been sorely misled about the terrain of the wind country. There were songs about this place, that waxed about the columns of dunes and the ever-changing face of the landscape. It was all a lie.

We ran for the first day. The journey was taxing and tedious. Good thing I packed my books, at least I'll have something to do while the other two whined about the distance.

Reading while jumping from one tree to another is not recommended, especially for a ninja. We must always be aware of our surroundings, but I don't have to worry about that, sensei will be on the lookout for anything weird, and I know for a fact that Nara has four of his shadow clones surrounding us from all sides.

And believe me when I say it, you don't want to be the one fighting a Nara's shadow clone. They give a new meaning to the word shadow.

I took out my notes and started practicing my sealing. I want to make a wide area seal that can store and manipulate the objects kept in it but am hitting a wall. Some seals can hold the object, and other seals can manipulate the said objects but never have I come across a seal that can do both at the same time.

We reached our destination on the fourth day. I was beyond tired, and so were my teammates.

It was not the first time we ran for four days straight; sensei once had a less-than-sane idea of leaving us with jōnin Maito Gai. That was one of the most painful experiences in my life, and the pain was not just physical, seeing him in a dress so outrageous was mentally scarring. Something like that ought to be banned.

Showing our credentials at the main gate, we followed the chūnin assigned to us. He led us to a hotel and pointed to us our room number before heading off.

Once settled, we ate our rations and went to sleep. Sensei was taking the first watch.

Such is the state of our world. We are never safe, even inside closed walls we are paranoid. We eat the provisions brought with us; speaking is reduced to the bare minimum, showing emotion is out of the question, and sleeping without a guard is just asking to get killed.

Morning came, and we readied ourselves for the first phase of the exam.

I tucked in my sai and dressed in light green clothes. Equipment and seals in place, we were ready for anything Suna might throw at us.

We went to the administration office to get ourselves checked in and headed off to the point where the first test was supposed to be conducted.

I wasn't sure what to do. We were expecting some office or stadium, but the test was to take place in the open desert.

"All of you must survive in the desert for seven days in order to proceed for the next phase." I heard a Suna ninja announce.

Seven days is nothing. I'm sure I can make it that far if other genin do not come after me.

Speaking of other genin, why do I get the feeling that they are looking down on us?

"All three members on your team must return alive at the end of day seven,"

There goes my plan to ditch my teammates.

"Any equipment, be it seal or weapon if caught, would lead to immediate elimination of the entire team."

There went my backup plan and the backup plan of my backup plan.

We went back to return all our weapons and in my case seals to sensei and came back in line.

"This is a test of your endurance, ability to survive, and make diplomatic connections. You are free to team up with as many people as you want." The ninja continued, "Killing is not allowed."

There are more than seventy teams this year participating in the genin examination. Almost a quarter of those were from Suna itself.

A few teams from Iwa looked busy cozying up to Suna nin. They turned towards us and started snickering. As bad as I am at understanding social situations, even I can guess what is happening over there.

They are laughing at us. They are laughing at me. I looked them in the eye and smiled back. I've been told on several occasions that my smile combined with the pointed teeth tends to make people uncomfortable. Considering that they quickly turned back, it must have been right.

"Ready at three,"

"Three"

"Two"

"One"

A blast indicated the signal to run. We ran as far from the other teams as we possibly can and stopped only when we were confident that no one was following us.

"OK guys, what do we do now?" Nara asked, looking around, trying to find if someone was hidden in the immediate vicinity.

I had an inkling of what we might do.

"Nara, create a hundred-meter parameter around our location. Send out two shadow clones and check if anyone is nearby." I said after a few moments.

"Got it."

Attacking during the day would be suicide, and other teams would most likely spend the first day looking for food and water. But even so, a little paranoia never hurts.

"Kurama, create an underground cave with a small waterhole."

"Just stop with it already, I've told you so many times to call me Ayumu." She huffed.

Not happening.

Kurama was my trump card. And while most of the time she is useless, useless does not equal weak.

Being a ninja is all about silence, speed, subtleness, and precision.

She is not ninja material. Extremely powerful? Yes, but ninja material? No.

For you to understand what I mean, you have to understand her abilities.

Her clan was one of the oldest out there, their powers so great that few dared mess with them. After all, who in their right mind would challenge a clan, of whose each member was powerful enough to change the very fabric of reality.

But as time passed, their ability waned. In the last one hundred and fifty years, none had the ability to so much as bend a spoon using nothing but their will.

That was until Kurama came along. And with her, came the powers thought to have been lost to time.

Yes, Kurama can bend reality to her will.

In theory, it sounds neat, and maybe one day, it will be. But for now, it is not as powerful as you might imagine it to be. Her learning curve is not that great; as a result, the time she took for even one jutsu is too much to be of any practical use.

Not in this case, though. You see, doing what I told her to do with doton techniques would be useless.

Structures created with chakra crumble over time as chakra dissipates back into nature. And so all things that are meant to last, be it buildings or equipment are hand made.

Kurama's technique has no such restriction; she is using her chakra to transform the universe. The cave itself would be made with nature's chakra.

"My shadow clones have popped themselves. No enemy is nearby."

"Stay here and protect Kurama, I'll set up some traps." It's going to take her around half an hour to make that cave.

I move around and create a radius of fifty meters around the cave. This area would be filled with seals.

Making seals on sand takes a lot of chakra. After it's done, Nara would be the only one with enough chakra left. He would have to keep guard while we recover.

Once done, I went back to the cave. As it turned out, the cave is big enough for the three of us. She exceeded my expectations; all things considered, the cave was quite good, not that I would tell her that. Her head is inflated enough.

I lied down beside Kurama and Nara sat at the entrance, cross-legged sending out as much shadow tentacles underground as possible.

Evening came, and Kurama was still asleep, she will be no good to us half tired, so it was better to let her regain her strength.

I took a drink from the waterhole. Seeing me awake Nara also stood up retracting his shadows.

"Any movements?"

"None, I think there were a few snakes to south-east but other than that nothing."

"Protect Kurama. I'll be back with something to eat."

"And try not to sleep," I added as an afterthought.

I headed out to the direction of the snakes spreading some low-level movement detection seals in the area. An hour, five snakes and two dead branches of some desert fauna later I headed back to the camp.

"Light a fire while I clean them." Living alone can teach you so many things.

The snakes were cooked in silence, and the fire snuffed out before night arrived.

"Go and take some rest. I'll keep the next watch."

The night was spent in peace.

It became our daily routine; I would recharge the traps and rest for the day while Nara kept guard. In the evening Kurama and I went out to collect dead twigs and snakes. During the night, I took the first shift, and Kurama took the last.

Everything was good until the seventh day.

We went out to collect snakes and twigs. When we came back, Nara was missing.

A quick search led us to the team of Iwa and Kiri ninja holding him captive. The unnatural bend in his knees was unsettling. His leg must have been broken.

I heard a small sniff from Kurama. She is too soft.

"I'm going to save Shigezane, you coming?" She said, looking at me.

"Don't be daft Kurama. We have no hope of defeating all of them at once."

"I don't care. He is my teammate, and I'm not leaving him out there with Iwa nins."

"Neither am I, but we have to do this subtly. Rushing there head-on won't help him."

"So what do you suggest we do."

"I'm thinking."

I looked at the genin playing with kunai. Charging at them would be idiotic. How on earth were they able to bring weapons was another matter to consider.

"Alright, send out a sense distortion genjutsu over the area at my signal."

People don't understand the power of a well-placed genjutsu. I'm sure these genin were trained enough to be able to break genjutsu if they notice something unnatural, but it is not as easy as it sounds.

The application of genjutsu is a tricky subject. Low-level genjutsu are usually applied to distract a powerful enemy, and to distract a genin; you should use something more subtle.

The reason being our mind. When faced with powerful enemies, a hundred fireball falling from the sky is not unexpected nor is a monstrous spider summon running towards you. Often in these case, it becomes hard to distinguish between reality and trickery, and so a D-ranks like hell viewing techniques have a much higher probability of working against an opponent who expects high-level attacks from you.

On the other hand, when facing a genin, they would instantly think that a fireball coming at them is a genjutsu.

Then again, it is not always the case. Many a ninja died at Uchiha Itachi's hand because they believed his techniques to be trick.

The genin had no hope of noticing the distortion jutsu with snakes zipping past them.

The snakes weren't meant to harm them, but rather it was meant to make them throw their ranged weaponry.

"Now," I hissed.

The jutsu made them lose their hand to eye coordination, and their movements grew more erratic.

While the genin were busy defending against dead snakes, I carried an unconscious Nara to Kurama.

"Let's head to the finishing point while we can."

"KAI" or not. I heard one of them shout. Apparently, someone was not the idiot, I expected them to be.

"Take Nara and meet me at the finishing line," I said nervously, "I'll be there."

Don't get any wrong ideas; I'm not the self-sacrificing type of guy. This was simply the most optimal choice. It would be hard for me to carry Nara's body and there was no way Kurama would be able to fight against this guy. Besides, I'll easily be able to outrun anyone here.

"Luck seems to be on my side today, Naruto. I've wanted to meet you for a long time." I heard the Kiri ninja.

Kurama was reluctant but having no choice; she leaped off, giving me one last glance.

Standing in front of me was a short boy with dark eyes and tuffy blue hair with a massive sword on his back.

How could I have been so stupid? Of course, they said 'if caught,' we were supposed to find and utilize the loophole. All I had to do was keep it from been seen.

"You are the last of the Uzumaki. Aren't you Naruto?" The Kiri nin said, breaking my chain of thought, "I was given dossiers detailing all the genin expected to participate in this exam. Your name was highlighted."

Not exactly how I thought being famous would feel like.

"My sensei once told me about the time when he destroyed Uzu." That's a big sword on his back; I'll be in serious trouble if he knows how to use that monstrosity.

"He said Uzumaki were powerful as a team but separate them, and they are easier to kill than blind sheep." I stopped.

"Who are you?"

"Don't you recognize my sword? Maybe you are not as intelligent as the reports indicated."

"I am Chōjūrō." He announced laughing. "Run little Uzumaki; I wanna have some fun."

I ran. I'm not a coward; I'm a ninja. Fighting him, head-on would be idiotic not to mention time-consuming. I have a window of one hour to reach the finishing point, Kurama and Nara should already be there by now.

From what I know of the seven swordsmen of mist, the sword on his back should be Hiramekarei, staying in one place would only give him a chance to get hold of me in those fish-bone like crystals of his. Besides, I don't have enough chakra left after recharging the seals.

Yes. This could work. I changed my direction and ran towards the camp.

I stop right at the gate of the cave, facing Chōjūrō.

"Facing me like a man." He took out his sword, "How brave of you."

"You should have ran some more, Naruto. Better yet, you should have died and rid the world of your worthless blood."

"You are wrong Chōjūrō. I was unprepared. Next time we meet, I'll make sure to teach you the worth of my blood." I said for the first time.

"Next time?" He sounded confused.

I activated the sequence, and the ground lit up. The sand moved to engulf Chōjūrō. I knew what was going to happen, and so I ran once again.

A few seconds later, I heard a loud blast.

Knowing what I know about the sword, the blast must have been useless. Hiramekarei can absorb chakra.

But the next time we meet he'll learn the worth of an Uzumaki. No one insults me and walks away. No one.

I saw Kurama and Nara waiting for me at the finishing line. Sensei was standing behind them; his eyes lit with pride.

Finally, the first test was over.

Bone-tired, the only thing I was looking forward to was sleep and some food, preferably something that was not a snake.

Taking my equipment from sensei, I waited for the final countdown to be finished before heading back.

Someone was staring at me. I looked in the direction and found Chōjūrō smiling at me.

It must have been his unlucky day. I'm going to tear him apart and rip him to shreds. I'll make him rue the day he met me. I smiled back.

Out of the seventy or so teams that ventured into the desert, only twenty-one managed to come out.

"Genin, are to go to point X marked on the map for the second phase of chūnin exam." I heard an Iwa jōnin announce distributing maps to jōnin sensei.

Dammit, I'm tired. Who knows what the second test entails.

I looked over at my team. Nara has managed to push off sensei and is now standing on his own. Looking at his pale skin, I frowned. He must be in quite a bit of pain.

Aye, he is worthy of being in my team. We'll show these villages the might of Konoha.

I hadn't noticed it before, but the exams are not just under the jurisdiction of Suna, instead it is more like a collaboration headed by the three great powers. Suna is simply the site of examination.

The first exam reminded me of something Kiri used to do, placing their little crazed ninja in a dangerous scenario and letting them kill each other. Only the strongest were worthy of rank in Yagura's village.

From what I can observe, the second test is under the jurisdiction of Iwa.

It looks like no one is eager to give Konoha a chance to get back to her former standing.

We started running to the location on the map.

I was a little worried about Nara but showing weakness in public never helped anyone. He won't appreciate my help. Had I been in his place, I wouldn't have either.

I ran as slowly as I possibly could have.

We stopped at the village academy.

We were, at this point, already almost an hour late but looks like most of the students were waiting outside the academy.

A few moments of spying later, I found about the second test.

The second test was supposed to be some sort of situational reaction test. They would test us to see what we would do in a given situation. It was intentionally placed just after the first examination to get us to the most mentally unstable position as they can before testing our mental fortitude.

The first exam was not an endurance exam; it was a bar, a way to crack genin before they are placed in this exam and are disqualified for being mentally unsound.

The result of the exams would be in points, and those points would decide the line up for the final match.

Waiting around, I tried to look for the kids exiting the compound but didn't find any, maybe they left from a back door.

Each team was called one by one.

"Team Hizashi, step forward." I heard a Suna chūnin call out to us.

The team had to go in at the same time inside three adjacent rooms where examiners were supposed to be sitting, waiting for you.

I was a little nervous.

Konoha never did these psychological evaluations. Had they done so, none of the S class ninja would have made past genin.

I looked at my teammates for the last time before entering the room.

A Suna ninja was sitting in a chair behind the desk marking some papers, and an Iwa ninja was standing guard near the window.

There was a weird contraption sitting on the desk.

"State your name for the test to begin." The Suna jōnin suddenly spoke.

"Namikaze Naruto, genin from the village hidden in the leaf," I stated.

"This exam is an evaluation of how you would react in a particular situation. The device sitting here is a gift from the land of iron. It'll give a signal if you lie." That's handy… I suppose.

"As soon as the device signals, you and the rest of your teammates would be removed from the exams." He continued in the same monotone voice.

"Nod once when you are ready."

I gave a quick nod to show that I understood and the test commenced.

"Situation one: You find an injured ninja of another village on your way back home. What would you do?" He asked, reading from a dark blue scroll.

That's simple "Kill him and take his body to the village for further medical examination."

The ninja sitting in front of me looked up. He blinked and then blinked again.

"Right." He said, clearing his throat.

"Next question: Should there be a scenario where you have to choose between the mission and your team. Who would you choose?"

"Depends on the class of mission. In case of mission ranked B or above the mission comes before the team." Unfortunate but should a time come where I have to choose between the mission and my team, I know where my loyalties lie.

"Next question: Our files show that you have two other teammates. In a situation where you can save only one of them, who would it be?"

"Once again the answer depends on the type of mission, should it be an assassination or infiltration type Nara Shigezane would be my first choice. In the case of diplomacy and missions dealing with civilians, the obvious choice would be Kurama Ayumu. Other factors may include their physical and mental state at that point."

"Next question: Who do you think is more important, the person leading the team or the team?"

"The leader."

"Should you be made to choose between the team and the village who would you choose?"

"The village."

And so on the question went for about an hour. My loyalties, my relation with teammates, and my ability to access a situation logically were tested to the extreme.

It was exhilarating.

In some ways, keeping a secret gnaws you from within. Hiding who you indeed are, your believes and ambition can and will slowly suffocate you.

Telling them what I truly felt was a new experience.

"Last question: An enemy village took something of yours but taking it back would place your village in conflict against the aforementioned village. What would you do?"

This has to be the most straightforward exam I ever took in my life.

"I'll raze the village to the ground, slaughter their army and kill their Kage. A conflict requires two parties to be in disagreement. There will be no conflict if there is only one party."

The Iwa nin twitched. No doubt he is reminded of the fourth. The last time a Namikaze entered a battlefield, an entire army was decimated.

"Thank you; you are free to leave."

The Suna ninja looked pale at this point.

I smiled at him and promptly made my way to the door.

"The Yondaime was a good man, dangerous without a doubt, but a good man. This… thing can't be his son." I heard the Iwa ninja speak as I exited the door.

Was it supposed to hurt me? Maybe… But I've long since stopped caring what others thought.

I suppose, being the host to the very image of hate and destruction makes you immune to such trivialities.

I made my way to the gate. Sensei was waiting along with Nara and Kurama.

They look shaken; it must have been the test. Most of the time, the correct answer to the situation they placed us in, went strongly against what our village taught it's young children.

After all, there is always a difference between what we know to be correct and what we teach our children. Look deep enough, and you will find our village also has its hand, colored with blood.

The blood of our enemies and allies alike.

"It's alright; the test was meant to break you. Fewer points just mean that you have to participate in more spars." Sensei was trying to soothe us.

Nara wasn't looking so soothed.

"Sensei, I'm thinking of quitting the exam. With my leg as it is, I don't think I'll be able to walk, much less fight," he said hesitatingly.

"I understand."

Nothing more was said as we returned to our allotted room. The dinner was a silent affair. Sensei took the watch while we found our comfort in soft beds.

* * *

"The report should be on Tsuchikage's desk by tomorrow."

"It shall be done."

The report on Namikaze's psychological evaluation must be important. Important enough that the Tsuchikage sent spies just to know what was going through the container's head.

Tsuchikage would surely be impressed with his speedy delivery.

As would Danzo-sama, the operative smiled.

* * *

Morning came, and we headed out to check the wonders of our host village. The result would be announced tonight, and the next exam was scheduled to be held after two weeks.

In case you didn't get, the checking out the wonders part meant that we'd try to gather as much local information as we possibly can without alerting Suna ninja.

The city would be full of civilians, local daimyo, nobles, and their servants coming in to see the third phase of the exam. Bets were openly made, and bars were full of men discussing the prospects of fighters.

Even in such disarray, it was hard to get yourself mixed up entirely with the civilians. Suna ninja were stationed at every checkpoint on the lookout for foreign spies.

Our newly bought civilian clothes helped, and the rest was a mixture of talent and sheer dumb luck.

We traveled across the village, creating a mental map of the place.

"Check out these Suna puppets," I heard a child shout. He had make-up all over his face. I'm not the one to judge. Weirder things have happened.

I looked over to find a bunch of puppets fighting each other. Every few moments a small partition would open and from these sockets would come out an endless amount of weapons.

In a few cases, swords would come out of these sockets clang against each other and go back inside.

"Sensei, please go ahead. I'll be back in the room in a few hours." I was intrigued.

"Are you sure? Do you need anything?"

"Yes, I'm sure." I had to confirm my suspicion.

"Oh! And can you buy something for me?"

"Sure," sensei turned back to face me "What do you need?"

"Some heavy chains. Steel would be fine."

"How much do you need? Besides, what do you even need chains for?" he was getting more curious every passing moment.

"Buy as much as you can. Let's just say I have an idea." I looked him in the eye "We are going to create history, sensei. Believe it."

"You, Naruto, are the weirdest kid I've ever met," He said, turning back.

Evening came, and we met back at the room. It turns out the Hyūga had deeper coffers than I estimated.

Sensei presented to me five seals of chains as thick as my arm, each containing a hundred meters.

"They were not cheap, Naruto. Make sure that I don't regret it." He warned.

"You won't."

The door was knocked, and three Suna genin came inside to deliver the results to us.

Of the total five hundred points, Nara got two hundred and eighty-five and Kurama, a hundred and five.

"Don't worry guys, as I said earlier, the test was a farce; it was set against our ethics and the code of Konoha. It just goes on to show that despite choosing a line of violence, you are a good person and that's all that matters" sensei was trying to console us.

"What about you Naruto? How much did you score?" Nara asked, trying to look at my result.

"Four hundred and seventy-one." I said, "This is supposed to be the highest score anyone has ever received, at least according to the Kazekage."

"You may not be a good person, but then again, few S ranks ever were. -Rasa" I read aloud from a piece of parchment that was attached to my result.

"Huh."

Things got real awkward real soon.

The next two weeks passed quickly.

Nara applied to quit the exam and spent most of the time in the room trying to regain his footing. It turns out it wasn't a fracture as we initially presumed, just a sprain. I must have misjudged at the moment.

Sensei was helping him, using the little iryō jutsu that he knew.

Kurama spent her day practicing against Nara's shadow clones and me, trying to learn shadow clones and studying seals.

Many times I asked sensei to teach me clones, but each time his answer remained the same.

"You are too small for such large chakra manipulation."

Begging, requesting, arguing, I tried it all. After a few days, it turned into a game of sorts. I would harass sensei and Nara would snigger from across the room.

After a few days, I left them to their devices; I'm going to show them my chakra manipulation and the degree of control I have over my chakra.

Since I topped the last test, I only have to fight in the finals while Kurama has to go through eighteen of the competitors.

Three days were spent perfecting the formulae and the seals. That was the easy part.  
The rest was spent trying to apply my theory in practice. It was hard, but the fruit would be worth every bit of pain.

Three days before the exam, Hokage arrived with his ANBU squad.

The ANBU were the best of the best. To me, they were the perfect shinobi; cold, powerful, and logical. The eyes and arms of Hokage. The most elite.

Standing in the helm was the captain of Ansatsu Senjutsu Tokushu Butai, Hatake Kakashi, age twenty-two; many times referred to as the right hand of Fire-Shadow. Famous for his ninjutsu, few can hope to match him seal-to-seal and live to tell the tale.

Spoken in dark taverns were sometimes rumors of his hidden eye. The Sharingan. He was also at the time the only loyal Konoha ninja wielding the infamous dōjutsu. But his most famous accomplishment was his renowned chain of command and his nindo of never leaving a comrade behind.

No operative working under him has ever died in the field.

That was an unprecedented record. Something, not even the fourth, could have claimed.

And for that, he was respected even by his enemies. Surely, given the chance, any one of his thousand enemies would love to kill him. But, a few would deprive him of an honorable death.

Honor amongst thieves. What an irony.

The Hokage came and met with us one-by-one. First Nara, since he was no more in the test and then Kurama, encouraging her and telling her how proud he was of her.

Finally, he came to me.

"Naruto, you have grown."

"People tend to do that," I replied and then quickly realized what I said out aloud.

Ok, so maybe I was a bit angry. I remember the time when I was small, barely a couple of years earlier when he used to be a friendly grandpa.

Then one day, he made me join ninja academy, and the Hokage replaced the grandpa.

I went to his office a couple of times but was told that he was busy.

"Yes, I suppose they do." He looked saddened but continued after a moment "You are the gem our village Naruto, the hope of our future generation. You are the future of Konohagakure. Make me proud."

"What do I get in return?" I need that filter back in place.

"Hmm… Win this Naruto, and I'll give you something many ninja would literally cut their right arms for."

Wow, that must be something.

After a customary talk with our sensei he went out and we back to our practice.

Days passed, and finally, I was ready to show the world that the name of Namikaze did not die with the Fourth. I will make them tremble before me just as they did before my father.

On the day of the exam, I stood in the balcony with Nara and Sensei looking at Kurama who was ready to face her first opponent.

The first round was supposed to be an elimination round where sixteen ninja would face one opponent each and eight will rise to an open battle where they would then face each other in a free fight; the final four left standing will move to the next level.

The next day, these four will fight each other in two, one-on-one matches to compete for a spot in the quarter-final. The final two left standing will then fight for a place in the semi-final.

The third day, the semifinalist would fight against Chōjūrō and the one who wins, most likely the swordsman, will face me in the final match.

The chance that Chōjūrō and I would fight in the final is almost guaranteed.

And not just because of our skill.

People wanted to see how the son of Fourth would fare against the infamous swordsman, and they had paid good money for it.

Bets were placed, and the stakes were high. No matter who the winner is, Suna would be making a lot of money.

It was a waste of my time.

I returned to the room. My time would be better spent on improving my skills.

Chōjūrō won't be fighting until the third day, and the others were of no consequence.

Night came, and with it came the rest of my team. They were happy. It looks like Kurama won her fights and would be fighting for quarter-finals tomorrow.

I sat by her side after things toned down a bit, handing her a cup of tea.

"Kurama, If I ask you to do something for me. Will you do it?"

"Wha…" She began.

"Trust me. It's going to be alright."

"Naruto, aren't you... a bit too young for these kinds of things?" She was slowly turning red.

It was my turn to stare. What in sage's name is she talking about?

"What do you mean?" I was confused. All I wanted was for her to remain safe.

"I know you are a growing boy, and…"

"Stop. That's not what I'm talking about."

"Oh!"

"Throw the semi-finals. Trust me; you do not want to face a swordsman of mist." I said after a while.

At once, the mood turned, and her smile wilted away.

"Naruto, you don't understand. Even if I don't want to, I'll be forced to fight. I can't just up and drop it; the Hokage will never accept it." She continued in a somber tone "Don't you think I'm frightened? Not even jōnin dares fight against one of the seven."

Her eyes were starting to glisten.

"It's not up to me Naruto. I have to do this, even if I die." Her voice was barely above a whisper.

Kami! This girl wears her emotions on her sleeve.

"Good thing it is not up to you then."

"What do you mean?"

"Goodnight Kurama"

I walked away to my bed as her breathing slowly deepened.

The night was peaceful. The next day was not.

"You poisoned Ayumu?" Nara was furious.

"It was for her good. And it's not poison, just a small dose of concentrated poppy to keep her sedated and some chakra suppressing potions."

"That's not any better. You don't get to make choices for her. You had no right to do what you did."

I remained silent. It's weird. Logically I knew I should have let her fight. Most of the time she's useless trash anyway. Had she died, maybe we would have received someone powerful in her place.

It's illogical, and yet it made perfect sense at the time.

"It's going to have serious consequences, Naruto. This is a big embarrassment to our village. Hokage-sama won't be happy." Sensei said, looking at me.

"He will be when I win this thing."

"Make sure you do." sensei said turning towards the other boy in the room "Come Shigezane, let him be."

The day was spent practicing my kata.

Hokage was indeed not happy. He came to visit us in the evening. After sitting beside Kurama for a few moments and them came to me.

"Naruto, what you did today made us a laughing stock. It was a serious blow to our public image. Out of the three Konoha ninja participating in the exam, one quit and the other forfeited. You are the last one left. I hope you know what you are doing." His voice had a tinge of killing intent.

"Yes, Hokage-sama," I said, looking at the ground.

"Good, I'll see you the day after tomorrow, don't make me regret choosing you to represent our village." The foreboding aura lifted.

Nothing was left to be said. He went back, and I resumed my stance.

Time flew by, and before I knew it the night before the finals arrived.

The information came about the match between Chōjūrō and his opponent. It turns out he was as powerful as I had anticipated.

His opponent, a Kumo nin died before he knew what was happening.

Looking at me, Kurama gave a small smile.

I remembered why I poisoned her.

She might be trash, but she was my trash, and I won't let anyone take her without my permission. No one was allowed to take something that is mine, be it one of the swordsmen or the Hokage himself.

The night passed quickly, and soon, I found myself getting ready for the fight.

The arena was full of people waiting for the finals.

Chūnin exams each year also acted as the most significant source of data for bingo books. Hidden among those seemingly simple-minded crowd of spectators were more than a few movers and shakers of our world.

They were the ones who decided the worth of ninja, and the cumulative value of ninja was the worth of the village who owned them.

Time to present them with the show they had been waiting for.

"Try to have a clean fight." The Kumo ninja acting as the referee said.

"Killing your opponent is not prohibited but is frowned upon." He continued looking at Chōjūrō.

"You should have forfeited like your other teammate, Uzumaki."

"Begin"

We jumped away from each other.

Throwing a few kunai is usually a proper starting technique. In a typical fight, kunai are generally considered to be a beginner weapon; no one expects you to be hit by one. Shuriken and kunai are mostly thrown to gauge the speed and hand-to-eye coordination of your opponent.

Unfortunately for me, he is good.

"Is that all you've got, Naruto? I expected more from the leaf's best genin."

I hate these unnecessary trash talks, these pointless bantering. In a real fight you either live or die, fights are over in a matter of minutes.

I dodge a hail of spikes made of fishbone.

Ok, the enemy has an unlimited amount of ranged weaponry. Not good.

I ran to the other side of the arena, and Chōjūrō followed.

"Is he supposed to be a prodigy, Sarutobi?" the fourth Kazekage asked.

"The standards of Konoha have surely fallen." laughed Onoki.

"Alas, the time has not been kind to our village."

I jumped in the air taking out my sai and went for the head.

"You think you can defeat me, one of the legendary seven in kenjutsu?" he roared.

A front jab and slash left my right arm bleeding.

I turned on the spot and tried attacking him again from different angles.

After a few jabs, all of which were expertly blocked, I jumped back throwing a few shurikens.

A shinobi should be a master of disguise. He should be good at deception, good enough to fool even the most paranoid opponent.

Just I had succeeded in fooling mine.

"Fight like a man, Uzumaki." He hollered in pain. It looks like one of the shuriken managed to hurt him after all.

"I win, Chōjūrō."

With that, I bent and activated the last sequence in the seal I've been writing on the ground with my blood.

The cut I received earlier was necessary for my plan to work.

The ground lit up, and out came chains as if from the depth of hell itself.

Five chains lashed at Chōjūrō as he tried defending against each one of them.

I sat on the ground and waited.

The chains were semi-autonomous and required a large amount of chakra to work.

Under the mask of overconfidence and relaxed posture, I was panting. My head was spinning, and the exhaustion I felt was more than just physical, but it was worth it.

Sitting on the ground at a distance, I could see thousands of spectators wondering how the match turned over in an instant. Most had their bets placed on Chōjūrō and were angry.

They tried cheering for him, and when that didn't work, they tried jeering at him.

It was useless, Chōjūrō was busy defending against five simultaneous attacks at once. Had he been more experienced it wouldn't have worked but right now it was the best strategy.

The chains were extraordinarily agile and robust; the result of the hours I spent etching them with seals.

Slowly but surely, Chōjūrō was losing his footing. Every once in a while, one of the chains would slash his skin.

It was like trying to fight five powerful whips. Whips that you can't cut, burn or harm.

He even tried using what little ninjutsu he had in his arsenal but to no avail.

Fifteen minutes went by, and much of his speed was now gone. Even I was worried, the chakra in the seal would barely support the chains for another five minutes. It looks like I would have to end it quickly.

In a showing of weakness, I slowed chains until Chōjūrō finally found the perfect opportunity to hit me.

He ran towards me, and suddenly a chain came through the ground and hit him square in the chest. His sword was thrown afar.

Using the chains, I tied him and hoisted him up in the air. My win was secure; just a final gesture was left. I stood and slowly walked up to the sword where it was thrown haphazardly. With the whole stadium looking at me in silence, waiting to see what I would do. I spat on Hiramekarei.

Utter pandemonium broke loose. For a Kiri swordsman, there could have been nothing more shameful.

"This is the worth of my blood Shinobigatana Shichinin Shū no Chōjūrō. I won't be so merciful the next time we cross paths."

Simply winning wasn't enough; I had to crush him using nothing but my Uzumaki heritage.

"Namikaze Naruto is declared the winner." The referee announced.

I dropped him from my chains and looked around the stadium at the thousands of spectators that cheered at my success.

One day these men will stop calling me Minato's son; instead, they'll call you Naruto's father. I'll surpass you, dad. Believe it.

My chakra was exhausted, and it took everything I had to stand before the five Kage while they discussed the match.

"You have done well Naruto, you may go now." the Hokage maybe sensing my plight urged.

"As you wish, Hokage sama." I barely managed to reply.

Once inside the room, Sensei and Kurama helped me heal my various cuts as I drifted off to sleep.

"Sensei would have been proud." I dreamt about a silvery hair looming over me whispering. The man with the white hair was someone I had dreamt about countless times. I like to think of him as my guardian angel. Then again considering his white hair, he must be an ancient angel.

Results were announced the next day, and for the first time in six years, Konoha had won the competition.

It was time to return home.

We left with the Hokage and his ANBU squad.

Our return to the village was an occasion of celebration. My win was a testament that Konoha was on her way to rise once again.

The missions continued, and there was little change in our daily routine, the only difference was that the missions which used to be D rank mostly were now C ranks with an occasional B ranks thrown here and there.

It gave us an increased status in the village; the increase in payment was a welcome gift as well.

The additional money all went to restocking my supplies and buying more chains, stronger and sturdier.

Fūinjutsu was now more of a pass-time, I had strong foundations the only thing left to do was selecting a branch and delving deeper to master my chosen path.

I had an idea about the branch I wanted to follow, but it would take me a long time to achieve my goal.

And so the days went, where once we mostly stayed inside the village, now we had to take missions outside the village. It was on the way back from one of these missions that my monotonous routine broke.

* * *

There were a few villages in the elemental nation which had history darker than that of Kirigakure no Sato.

Initially found by Byakuren, the founding Water-Shadow, Kiri has since been home to some of the darkest and most heinous acts of violence.

The village was divided into caste system with those who can trace their roots back to the founding of the village at the helm, those who joined Kiri as allies on the battlefield came second and the members of the families who were defeated on said battlefields and annexed into the village were at the lowest level of hierarchy, these were the ones who toiled in the fields, the ones who acted as cannon fodder in case of wars and their lives were but a toy to the whim of the upper caste.

Suffice to say they had a social structure more unstable than bijūdama.

Unstable though they were, weak they were not. Even though the village was prosecuted by many as uncivilized and barbaric, it held on to its power. Battles were waged, and Kiri answered in kind. It proved its worth as one of the great five.

The village's unstable economy and its cruel methods of teachings resulted in fewer ninja each year than any of the great five, but what they lacked in quantity they made up in quality.

The hunter-nin division, Kiri's answer to Nidaime's ANBU was one of the deadliest combat force in the battlefield. Their expertise ranged from all-out frontal war to search and rescue and even hunting rogue nins or those that abandoned the village.

And this was what became the vicious cycle that slowly started to gnaw the foundation of Kiri.

The fewer students each year resulted in fewer powerful shinobi, most wars started using massive amounts of lower caste nins to slow the enemies, and in many cases, they were sent as baits.

The resentment grew.

The war with the Kaguya was the last straw. Those at the top of the social hierarchy were of old blood. Blood with strong kekkei genkai.

The commoners started fearing them even more, and where there is fear, there is hate.

The society broke.

This slow and meticulous destruction of the village was not done in a day.

No, it was a plan that took almost a decade to come to fruition.

The academy was the first piece in the domino, the economy second, the social resentments third, the declining inter-village relations and growing distrust between the seven ninja swordsmen of the Mist were the last steps.

Uchiha Obito smiled.

Kiri acted as his base of operations. Since the village didn't have any registration system for its ninja, it was easier to send them as spies and were generally better tools.

All through the power of his eye.

After the failed attempt at destroying Konoha through Rin, Kiri sealed the three tails in young Yagura Karatachi.

Rin. He hadn't thought about her for so long. Initially what started as a quest to avenge her death slowly twisted and darkened until it enveloped young Obito in a never-ending spiral.

Rin would have hated this version of him. Such a sweet person she used to be; she might not even recognize him now.

But Rin was dead.

And it was her death that taught him the most crucial lesson in life.

There was only power and those too weak to seek it.

Konoha used to be so proud and mighty, and now it was nothing. Rin died because she wasn't strong enough. Even he was left behind because he wasn't powerful enough. Wasn't worth the time and effort to send a rescue party.

He was weak, but never again.

The village was almost at its knees, a few more strikes and Kiri would fall.

All modesty aside, his most recent plan was brilliant. The best way to kill your enemy is to let someone else do it for you.

The declining force of Kiri's ninja still loyal to the hat made it vital for him to take a risky gamble.

And so, Kiri birthed two giants.

Terumī Mei and Momochi Zabuza. They were not giants because of their prowess. Oh no! They weren't that powerful at all.

In fact, many shinobi in the land of Mist were far more powerful than these two. They were giants because people saw them as their hope. The light that would shine and rejuvenate Kiri.

Terumī Mei was the beacon for old families with powerful bloodlines, the original settlers of Kiri and Zabuza was the hope of countless peasants and third-class citizens.

Both their goal was to fight against the Mizukage, but to do that effectively they would have to solve the differences between them. Decades of atrocities would have to be forgiven, and the old families would have to accept the newcomers as their equals.

It was impossible.

And so what was once two major forces formed to oppose Mizukage became the two opposing sides of a civil war with Obito supplying weapons to both parties.

It was funny how idiotic men could be.

But Obito forgot one tiny detail.

In the conquest to conquer the whole of elemental nations, he forgot what was once the sole reason for his existence.

Love.

* * *

Mei did not. Months of attempts finally led her to her goal.

And Momochi was, but a man.

Mei knew that once Zabuza died, she would be the undisputed leader of both factions.

Without a voice, the lower class civilians would fall back in line but killing Zabuza on its own served no purpose.

No, Zabuza had to be killed by Yagura's forces for it to work.

And so her plan slowly came together.

Ao, her ever-faithful dog, the one who told her about the possibility of Yagura being controlled by a third party let the knowledge of Zabuza's base be known to the other swordsmen.

The swordsmen were a perfect choice. Zabuza was a stain on their honor. Zabuza broke the oath they took to serve the hat, and for that, they would never forgive him.

It was the second-best choice; the optimal was the killing to have been done by Yagura himself. But involving Yagura and whoever controlling him was far too risky.

The events went just as she predicted.

The swordsmen killed everyone; it was a slaughter.

Most of Zabuza's high ranking commanders were killed, and his organization fell.

What angered Mei was the fact that Zabuza managed to escape, but it was alright. Zabuza still thought of her as his lover, and he would remain in contact with her.

The opportunity will arise again, and the next time, Mei would make sure to remove any obstacle from her path.

She once dreamt of becoming the first female Kage and sage be her witness; she would achieve her dream or die trying.

* * *

The mission was a regular security detail for a minor lord, easy money.

Most of the time these diamyō don't have to worry about anything, them hiring expensive escorts is just a way of showing their prestige and money and me being the winner of last chūnin exam added a lot of prestige to the team.

They would usually pester me with inconsequential small talks. Sensei often advised me to indulge in these frivolities.

"It's never too bad to have a connection in high places," He said.

Try as I might, I can never seem to able to do so. Me trying to stay away didn't help.

"It only adds to your mysteriousness, baka. Wish them a good day now and then, and they won't annoy you anymore." Kurama suggested.

Following her advice the next day I wished the man a good day and went back to my work.

Turns out, I was right, Kurama is good at this civilian thingy.

The mission ended uneventfully.

The diamyō was impressed by my age; he couldn't seem to stop comparing me to one of his sons back at some castle or other.

We stayed at the castle for the night before heading back to the village.

Nara took the vanguard Kurama was in the middle, and I took the lead.

It was a regular training session.

Sensei was hidden, and I acted in his stead.

The travel was mostly uneventful, for the most part. We were in the vicinity of our village when our paths crossed with the demon of the mist.

* * *

Zabuza Momochi, exiled from his home, was wandering the elemental nations trying to gather allies and send monetary relief to Mei back home.

Money in the world of the ninja was a powerful tool, and the ways to earn a high amount of it were few. First was to work for a village and do high ranking missions and the second was to go rogue and hunt for bounties.

The way he saw his luck suddenly took a hike.

In from of him was the person who would add millions to his coffers if used correctly.

Namikaze Naruto, the last of Uzumaki and the heir to the Fourth would fetch a high price if given to the correct parties.

Iwa would be interested in him and so would the upstart Akatsuki. It was a stroke of luck he was not willing to let go.

* * *

"Naruto, run!" Sensei shouted as he came in front of me taking the brunt of the first kick that I hadn't even seen coming.

"Kurama light the signal!" Nara called out to Kurama coming forward to take her place in the middle.

"Nara, four shadow clones. Send one to scout for other enemies another to protect Kurama and send the last two to engage Momochi" I'm not leaving sensei alone to die alone.

A quick slash and my dripping blood was ready to draw my signature technique.

"Boom!" We heard the signal go off; help would soon be on its way. Hopefully, the nearest scout team would be made up of at least one ANBU.

The clearing in the forest, which was a second ago filled with sunshine, suddenly grew dark and filled with mist.

"Silent Killing technique" I shuddered.

It was bad. The killing intent was strong, strong enough to make me hesitate drawing my seals.

Seals are dangerous like that, especially blood sealing. One false move and I could burn down the entire forest.

"Dammit!" I took out my sai and took the place of the shadow clone, Zabuza had just popped.

I had a plan, but it was a risky one.

There are few ways to free yourself of killing intent, the first and most common of them being by pain. The other was a massive flux in the chakra system. Self-harm was a foolish choice in the middle of a fight.

I threw a shuriken, drawing a thin line of blood from Kurama.

"Kurama, place me under genjutsu and dull my senses!" I said, trying to let her chakra overpower me.

The pace was fast; my movement relied solely on my instincts. My vision blurred and defending against the incoming strikes was all I could do. Nara's clone helped but only so much before they were popped and his attention was focussed on me. Another shadow clone popped.

"Shuriken Mizu Bunshin no Jutsu."

Suddenly hundreds of shuriken made of water went flying towards Kurama.

"Eight Trigrams Palms Revolving Heaven" Winds picked up, and the mist thinned as sensei took it upon himself to create a barrier to deflect every shuriken in the air.

"You thrice-damned Hyūga" Momochi sneered "Suiton: Suiryūdan no Jutsu."

"Naruto take your team and run. That's an order!" Sensei commanded once again, trying to fend off against the water dragon.

"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu" Sensei created a clone of himself to fight the water dragon and went running towards Momochi. "Jūkenhō Ichigekishin"

Can I do it? Can I leave and break the first vestige of the family I had? Logically I should have done it.

In my bones, I knew that leaving here alive was the only choice — the only way to fulfill my dream.

"KAI" My vision cleared...

"Nara, take Kurama and go and find reinforcement. Do not come back."

The killing intent ended, and I drew my blood once again.

For a second Nara looked at me, then he gave a small nod and took Kurama to safety.

I too back-flipped into the bushes while sensei fought against Momochi using his gentle fist technique. Months of practice had made me somewhat proficient in my technique.

Fifteen seconds later, the ground cracked and out came more than twenty chains shooting for Zabuza.

"Mizu Bunshin no Jutsu!" I heard Zabuza yell, jumping towards the sensei with one of his clones, leaving behind another clone to deal with me.

Can it be any worse?

"Suiton: Suidan no Jutsu."

A pained cry from sensei made me look towards him. The water bullet had tore through his legs, which was now covered in blood.

Dammit! I hate the god of irony.

"Doton: Doryūheki" With four quick hand seals I sent an earthen wall between the torrents of water bullets and sensei. It wouldn't hold for long, but it would give sensei some time to recover.

On the downside, I was running on fumes now. My chains held back the water clone in front of me, but it was clear that it wasn't going to last long.

Suddenly a few shurikens shot from the treetops.

Help had arrived.

The reinforcement consisted of a chūnin commander and his three genin, two male and one female.

Two of the guys joined me in fighting against one of the water clones, the chūnin and the girl went to fight another shadow clone, and sensei went for the real one.

There was still a chance to come out of this alive.

I sent the chains to help sensei and took out my sai once more.

My comrades seemed to know what they were doing, one of them was a long-range expert who shunshined really fast and kept shooting projectiles.

The second was a support type medic-nin who hid in the trees, sending us quick bouts of chakra boost every so often.

It was humbling. All my experience, all my practice and all the hours I spent practicing every single move again and again until they were perfect and yet I wasn't able to so much as destroy a clone.

"Ahhh!" The medic-nin suddenly yelled.

There was a trident made of water piercing his leg through the branch of the tree on which he was standing a moment ago.

It was fascinating. A weapon made of nothing but water yet, durable and sharp enough to pierce through bone without losing its shape.

"Get down!"

In an instant, the other genin I was fighting with, was standing in front of me with the Kubikiribōchō coming out of his chest. Slowly I saw life exiting his eyes as he fell on me.

What a fool he was, sacrificing his life for a chance to save mine; then again, was I any different? I too stayed to protect sensei, knowing that it would kill me.

Only a few weeks before I would have left them all and ran to safety and yet, here I was.

The situation was dire. I was tired in no shape to get up and continue fighting.

This was the true might of a legendary swordsman. He was an actual demon, someone worthy of calling himself one of Kiri no Shinobigatana Shichinin Shū.

The chūnin and the girl were dead, at least they took down one clone with them. Sensei was on the ground bleeding, my chains long since devoid of its chakra were thrown aside.

Zabuza smiled as he walked lazily towards me. His clone standing in wait for the original to come and relieve him of his post.

Is this the end? Beaten by a single man. Is this the end of my dreams?

I closed my eyes, trying to find peace within myself. My comrade was lucky to have died early on in the battle.

"Help me Kyūbi..." I whispered.

In the face of death, there is no shame in begging for help.

But none arrived.

If only I were stronger... I felt my eyelids drooping.

Suddenly the forest lit up. It was as if a thousand birds started chirping at once. Maybe that's what the call of heavens sounded like. It was my last thought as I fell unconscious.

* * *

I never expected to open my eyes, so when I did open them and looked at the white ceiling of the familiar hospital, it was a welcome surprise.

"Welcome back, Naruto. It has been three days." I saw the medic-nin I was fighting beside, moments ago standing next to me.

"You had a severe case of chakra poisoning. It looks like an external source of chakra tried mixing with your coils." he started.

"The results were spontaneous. Your body tried fighting the chakra and in the process exerted much strain on your coils. The external chakra was concentrated, extremely so. The results could have been fatal. It is a surprise that you are even alive."

Huh, it looks like my prayers didn't go unanswered after all.

"Hokage sama wishes to meet you." a masked ANBU operative announced appearing out of thin air.

"I'll be there as soon as I can," I said, getting up out of bed.

"Yakushi Kabuto" The medic extended his handed.

"Namikaze Naruto," I said looking at his hands, he was acting a bit too friendly for my taste, but at least he had fought by my side, so that was a point in his favor.

Walking towards the Hokage, I tried sorting through my memories of the day. All I could remember was a loud ringing, and then everything went numb.

"Come inside, Naruto." I heard Hokage invite me. "How are you feeling?"

"All right, Hokage-sama," I replied, turning to see a hooded ANBU standing in the corner, with his head bowed.

"Ah! That is Kakashi, my most trusted lieutenant. He was the one who saved you." I looked at the hooded figure once again.

"Your opponent Momochi Zabuza ran away as soon as Kakashi arrived. Since you were in mortal peril, Kakashi here decided to save you and carried you all back to the village instead of going after him." looks like the rumor about him never leaving a comrade to die had some basis after all.

"Your father, once said that to be a shinobi is to protect. Even in the face of death, you stood to protect your sensei. It was an act of selfless sacrifice."

I looked down. It was not, old man. I am not selfless. Protecting my family was but a selfish decision on my part.

"Your sensei is in Hyūga compound recovering from his wounds. You ought to go and meet him." he signaled my leave.

"Make sure to submit your account of what happened by tomorrow evening." I heard him say as I left the room.

Walking towards the Hyūga compound, I found it hard to imagine that just a few days ago I almost died. I needed to get better. Stronger.

Entering into the compound, I saw a few older members smile and nod at me. Considering the fact that most of the looks aimed at me are usually full of disdain, it was a weird experience. It looks like the story of our fight came out.

Asking around led me to sensei's home.

He was sitting on the bed Kurama and Nara standing by his side.

"We were waiting for you to wake up, Naruto," sensei said, looking up at me.

"Morning Naruto." Kurama seemed a bit dull.

"We were just leaving," Nara said abruptly moving to the door taking Kurama with him.

"Whatever is up with those two, it is not my fault. I just woke up." I cleared the air before any misunderstanding arose.

"I know kid. It's not your fault." He sighed.

"Invidia, the sin of envy. Not even the pure souls of children are spared from it. The more you grow, the more your friends would alienate, it is the sad truth of life. Even so, do try to keep yourself involved with them Naruto."

I looked outside; a few children were running around playing ninja — children my age.

"I understand Sensei."

"Saying that; I'm proud of how you have grown."

The door opened, and a girl my age entered, holding a cup of green tea.

"You should not have troubled yourself Hinata-sama." Sensei tried getting up.

It was time for me to leave.

"I'll come again, sensei. Take care."

I must become more powerful. My best technique was not good enough. Chains were useless. I needed to be more. I had to be more than what I am.

Never again would I be as weak. This, I promise myself.

* * *

 **Muse:**

Like it? Hate it? Review and share your opinions…

No, I'm not dead. Just reeaaaaaallllly busy. I hope this chapter was good enough.

The story is going to be in a mostly first-person view.

Japanese as a language does not use plurals. The word is understood as being single or multiple in the context of the sentence. I'll try to follow suit and write Japanese words in the singular form.

Since the Kyūbi is sealed, I decided to remove instant healing. As I said earlier, Naruto has to learn; I hate characters who are all-powerful from the beginning itself.

Not all Uchiha are evil; not all Nara are brilliant at making plans on the go. I'm going to break many-many stereotypes.

Nara does seem to have a lot of chakra to make so many shadow clones, doesn't he? What's his secret?

Chōjūrō is more than a bit angry at Uzumaki, But why? Guess why to get a cookie.

Poison was in the tea. Cheers if you got it correct.

Ugh! I hate info dumps, but because it's an AU, you have to understand the premise, also I find the characters in cannon extremely honorable and generally bad at being a ninja. Kishimoto should have made his characters part of Iron nation if he wanted goody two shoes.

In these info dumps, I'll try to provide with reasonable explanations (my thoughts) on why things happened and why the characters reacted the way they did.

Cheers to Lord Voldemort. If you got the reference, you are fantastic.

Yeah, Terumī Mei, the soft, beautiful figure who showed everyone that women can be just as powerful and can also become kage. You don't get to be a leader of killers in a male-dominated society without doing what it takes.

Give Naruto a break. He's seven. You seriously didn't expect him to win against Kirigakure no Kijin, did you?

He'll grow strong but as I said it's going to take time. He won't be winning any unrealistic fights.

Seven years without a hint of Kyūbi chakra in his system, of course, he wouldn't survive even if Kyūbi for whatever reasons decided to help him by giving him even a drop of his chakra. I plan on using this incident as a sort of vaccination process.

Emotions are confusing. They are never constant; the love that you might feel one moment can turn into hate the next. I'll try to make this a realistic story, and in real life, you are never dead set on becoming a good or a bad guy. Your emotions and experience shape you.

Chapters are going to be longer from now on, so I hope it'll be worth the wait.

Thanks for following and favoriting.

Stay tuned.

Cheers,

Clumsy Psychopath


	5. Chapter 5: The Chains of Past

Disclaimer: Naruto does not belong to me.

* * *

 **Chapter 5: The Chains of Past**

* * *

 _Recap: Never again would I be as weak. This I promise myself._

The days that followed were spent in the library looking for sealing arrays to strengthen my chains, but I found little on the subject. Even the smallest bits of knowledge regarding the sealing arts were, to my dismay, closely guarded secrets. It was later that I came to know that the fūinjutsu books strewn about my apartments were priceless treasures.

Had Hokage-Sama not helped me from behind the scenes, I would never have received such tomes. I felt terrible about arguing with him during the chūnin exams. A stray thought about apologizing entered my head, but I soon discarded it.

My argument had won me a favor with the Hokage, and I don't think I'll be able to act like a sad petulant child anytime soon.

The days spent in the library were soon proved worthless. Books with advanced seals were present only in the Hokage's library and considering I checked all the books on seals he had, last time I was there; I think nothing further can be achieved here.

Of course, there had been a couple of seals that might have done what I was trying to do, but there were specific parameters that had to be fulfilled by the solution to be of any use to me.

First, my signature technique had to be in the form of chains. It was something I wanted to do to honor my ancestors.

Second, it had to be stronger than my current technique.

Third, it must contain my personal touch, something that can be identified with me and me alone.

Tired and lost, I finally raised the issue in one of the team meetings we had.

Nara still wasn't talking to me, and Kurama's perpetual smile was now constantly tinged with worry. On one occasion, she tried taking us to a restaurant, but things quickly got awkward, and I left her behind with Nara.

Sensei was very interested but had little to no experience in sealing. It was a topic, branch family was forbidden to pursue.

Surprisingly, it was Nara, who took most interest in my problem and although he tried to be nonchalant about it, I found him a few days later looking up books on etching, chakra and basic fūinjutsu in the library.

When I asked sensei about his behavior, he smiled and told me to accept any help Nara provided with a show of gratitude.

I understood his unspoken words. No one is exempted from being used, not even your teammates. Use him and pretend to be thankful to him. I should have expected this of my sensei. He was, after all, the perfect shinobi.

We spent the next few weeks in the library going after every solution.

And I mean every possible solution. It was a Nara thing. They tend to go through every iteration of a conversation, even before opening their mouth, a project like mine was infinitely more complicated than a simple discussion, but the principle holds.

"Troublesome..." Nara sighed, looking at the twenty or so scrolls spread on the ground in front of us.

My team was sitting under the shade of a large tree in the training ground, looking at the notes we had collected over the past few days.

"What are those squiggly lines over there?" Kurama decided to ask a particularly brilliant question.

"Multidimensional seal arrays," I replied distractedly "to direct and redirect chakra pathways between the links of the chain through the air."

In the silence that followed, I looked up to see Kurama's face. It looked as if someone had squeezed a sour lemon in her mouth.

"You guys are such nerds!"

Nara and I shrugged before looking at each other and then went back to our work.

"Why are you even developing a jutsu?" Ah! The blissful silence. Where are you when I need you the most? "Why not learn something useful?"

"Cuz research is fun?" Nara supplied helpfully.

"Because it is a part of my heritage." I gritted my teeth. "It is something my family was feared for. A perfect jutsu, something powerful enough to hold back even a rampaging tailed beast."

He shrugged.

Once again, I tried putting my frustrated mind back to work.

A few minutes passed in silence.

"Then, why don't you simply use the jutsu your clan developed?" She broke the silence for the third time. "It must have been good enough if they became famous for it."

I blinked slowly. "You are a genius, Kurama."

Collecting the chakra in my feet, I got ready to shunshin to the library, "And research is not something that should be done for fun." I sent a scathing glare towards Nara.

The last thing I heard was Kurama laughing and a sigh that suspiciously sounded like 'troublesome.'

The surge of hope I had felt was quickly drowned in the next few days. Once again, the library had no books describing how the Uzumaki did what they did. The consensus seemed to be along the lines of "really big and crazy strong, glowy chains that can do loads of damage."

It was not as helpful as I expected it to be.

But now I had an abstract idea about what I was working with.

Sitting in the center of my room in a meditative pose, I took my index finger and held it against the flooring.

With a delicate balance, maintaining the chakra to give the technique, its form, I slowly raised my finger.

Nothing happened.

After a few hundred more tries and more than a few sleepless nights, I was able to create a decent length of chakra string.

The strain that was exerted on my chakra during our fight with Momochi had its upsides. My coils were now much bigger than they were before, and the growth didn't seem to be stopping anytime soon.

The doctors had eloquently put it as 'something happened to your coils, and it is extremely concentrated now' before referring me to the last Senju alive.

On the upside, I could now use jutsu for a much longer duration.

For the first few weeks, my control was iffy, but slowly it came back under control.

Back to my current situation, I was on the floor looking at the chakra string extending from my finger. The only problem was that it appeared more like, for lack of a better word… chakra rod. The string was straight and not stringy.

It would have made a decent Bo, but that wasn't my aim right now.

After a few more deep and meditative tries, I went for the brute force method. I had hoped that maybe with time, bending it daily just a millimeter or so, would result in it losing its hardness.

I was wrong.

Frustrated beyond measure, I took it to sensei. I had hoped that his Byakugan would show any insights I might have missed on my own.

After a quick breakfast, I ran across the width of Konoha to where he lived.

Just like the last time, the members of the Hyūga clan acted courteous and friendly towards me. The first time I was unsure about it, but now I knew the real reason.

Hyūga Hizashi, my sensei was a very respected man and considered to be one of the strongest in the clan. His taijutsu was almost equal to his elder brother, the head of the Hyūga clan.

Working together with his brother, sensei helped maintain the fine line of balance between vassalage and servitude. I don't think the elders or those with more orthodox upbringings appreciated him, but the clan head was said to favor his brother. It was even rumored that the heiress of the clan was very close to her uncle, more so than she was with her father.

And if the adoration I saw on Hinata's face towards sensei during my last visit held any truth, the rumors were more than valid.

Walking around the home toward the small piece of open land where sensei usually meditated, I saw him training with a boy near my age.

"Ah... Naruto," sensei said, getting up. "How may I help you?"

Looking at me, the boy too released his stance and stood up, a small smile playing about his lips.

"So you are Naruto! Father told me much about you," He gushed "You must be really good."

"Now-now Neji, what have I taught you about treating guests?"

"Come inside Naruto," sensei said, turning towards me.

Sensei had a kid and that too my age. Huh.

Taking in the fact that I had to now share him with one more person with no show of outer expression, I went inside, following the kid whom I suppose was Neji.

Once inside, we sat in the library, and I regaled to him my troubles.

For some time now, my chains were troubling me and seemed to take up a big part of my everyday routine.

"Hmm… It shouldn't be happening," sensei seemed curious "Free chakra on its own is barely strong enough to have a corporeal form, let alone be as strong as you described."

"Go on," he said, activating his dōjutsu "Show me what you have developed."

After a few moments of intense scrutiny, he appeared to be even more mystified than he was, to begin with.

"Huh...," He frowned after a few minutes. "I can't seem to find the wire."

"Wire?"

"Yes, the wire which you're using to form the string."

"Form?"

"Kami! Naruto. Did you even go through the scroll about chakra string creation?"

"Scroll?"

This was getting ridiculous.

"How did you create this… rod-like string, kid?" He sighed.

After a few minutes of telling him about my trials over the last few months, interrupted with a question or two, we sat in contemplative silence.

"So, you encased your yin chakra with your yang to give it form?"

"More or less."

"I don't think that's what is happening here," he said, standing up, searching for a scroll.

"With experience, a Byakugan user can identify the subtle difference between yin and yang chakra." He continued, "And while I won't claim to have the best eyes in our clan, I can with surety confirm that what you are assuming to be yin chakra is in fact yang."

"That's not possible. I know I'm using the softer chakra for the core and the rougher, more potent as the sheath."

"And you're not wrong in assuming so," opening up a scroll he said searching for his answers.

"Based on what you told me and your unique circumstances, I have a theory," He nodded, turning the scroll to show me the contents.

"The rougher chakra you presumed to be yang is what I deduced to be nature's chakra." Pointing to a particular line of text he read aloud "The Uzumaki clan, descendants of Ōtsutsuki Ashura, had a different chakra flow than others."

"It isn't sure why, but some of inherited the chakra of Ōtsutsuki and could manipulate the surrounding nature." I continued reading, "Compared to normal shinobi their reserves were much purer and were mixed with natural chakra which made them a perfect candidate for jinchūriki."

Realization dawned on me. It was much clearer now, how I won against kids twice my age in pure taijutsu.

My bones and muscles which I used to coat with what I once presumed to be yang chakra used to be saturated with natures chakra.

An incident suddenly came to my mind about when I snapped one of my sensei's arms in half. At the time, They passed the event off as my jinchūriki side finally showing up, and it delighted the council. Thinking back, I suppose, it was the fact I covered myself in nature's chakra which gave me such raw power.

Yang chakra is powerful, but using the yang chakra in combination with the natural chakra increased its potency by more than a thousand times.

Coming back to the moment, I looked up.

"How should I proceed from here on, Sensei?"

"Follow the path of your ancestors." He smiled. "It makes sense, doesn't it?"

"Hmm, that must be the reasons they chose chains, not any other form of weapon."

"Yes, you must practice creating the links of the chain and then join the links."

"For a chain is only as strong as its weakest link."

"Weakness is relative."

"Strength is the objective."

"Brittleness would be just as dangerous."

"Then, fluidity is the key."

"The key is to find the door."

"I don't know where to look."

"Look for books regarding the movement of a snake in the biology section." He smiled — finally, a straight answer.

Once I got the gist of what I was doing, it was easy. My progress grew in leaps and bounds after that.

The rod which I fashioned last time was now a series of links interconnected and strong. Really strong. And the book Sensei told me about, hinted the fundamental physics behind the movement of a snake.

The trick was to control the chain unconsciously; they were an extended part of my body. Each link felt different, and each was just as important.

They were terrible, yet beautiful. They were my heritage.

I kind of understood what scholars meant by "really big and crazy strong, glowy chains that can do loads of damage."

And although my current chakra capacity was not enough to make humongous chains like the Uzumakis of the past, I could create two chains of sufficient length; more if the control wasn't a parameter.

I now spent my days, which once were spent locked in my room, in sensei's library. A few times, I helped Neji with taijutsu, but his exuberance was overwhelming.

He was a good kid, liked by most of his clan. He gave everyone a cheerful smile. He was what I could have been, and that unsettled me. My indifferent nature, the walls I built around myself, which used to be impenetrable were slowly being rammed every time I created a new bond.

It was troubling. So, I did what any ninja-in-training would do and concentrated my efforts on learning new ways to murder people.

I had the ambition to become the most powerful shinobi alive, and for that, I needed power. Lots of it.

Looking through his library, I came across many references to elemental manipulation. Remembering our last fight, if you could even call it that, with Momochi, I pledged to go through every water jutsu, I could lay my eyes on.

And though the library didn't have any books describing the techniques of the Hidden Mist, it had quite a few from Amegakure, which I suppose Konoha… borrowed, after they defeated Ame.

But the one I spent my most time reading was a book compiled by Densetsu no Sannin, detailing the water techniques used by Sanshōuo no Hanzō, also known as Hanzō of the Salamander, after their most illustrious defeat by the hands of the said suiton user.

All his techniques were terrible and devastating, but there was only one I wanted to learn. The day I saw Momochi create a weapon of pure water was the day I got hooked onto the idea.

Water was all around us. From raging seas to small ponds, from the tanks we made to supply it to the very air we breathe; it was everywhere, and if I could weaponize it, there was no limit to how powerful I could be.

And so I learned.

* * *

Day in and day out I practiced. My endurance and my strength slowly but surely rose.

That's how my next few months went by. The mornings comprised training with the team, and then we went for missions.

The mission office was usually the place where bribes exchanged hands. The Hokage was a busy man and wasn't always there to personally hand out the assignments. The mission-handlers were the ones you needed to get close to if you wanted good sounding assignments with minimal work on your resume.

For us, it was not so.

Being the topper of chūnin exams had its perks, and so we only got the best, if not always the most coveted missions.

However, my definition of best was not something that Nara agreed with.

Kurama was happy as long as we were not fighting and Sensei usually left me in charge the mission, keeping an overview from wherever he hid, interfering only when needed.

My nights were spent sneaking in bathhouses and experimenting with water. I was determined to work through the techniques of Hanzō, the only person who, in my opinion, could stand against the Sandaime Hokage.

And so my days went. I usually limited my interactions to my team and the shopkeeper I bought my groceries from.

The ritual suddenly broke one day when, while coming from Sensei's compound, I found Hinata being bullied in a park.

It was interesting in a morbid way.

The girl was trained from a young age to kill trained shinobi with nothing but a touch, and here she was being bullied by school children.

I sat atop a tree, looking at the scene with fascination. After a few minutes, I saw one bully push her from behind, and she fell.

She cut her hands on one of the rough stones that littered the ground. Seeing the blood, the bullies backed off and ran away, leaving me with a crying girl.

I stood up to go back to my apartment but held my footing. After a few seconds of contemplation, I took off the bandages I usually tied around my knuckles and let it fall before jumping away.

She was Sensei's master and I couldn't leave my master's master alone and bleeding, not after all that Sensei had done for me. And it wasn't as if she'd ever know that it was me. Sensei would never tell her that the bandages were mine. He wasn't like that, he would look at me with those twinkly eyes of his and smile, but would never tell her unless I permitted him to.

Oh! How wrong I was...

The next time I went to Hyūga compound, I found a blushing girl, hand me a well-washed and rolled bandage. I narrowed my eyes.

Neji sniggered.

How could I have forgotten? He must have seen the bandages countless times on my hands while we sparred and he didn't look too sorry about breaching my trust.

If only he wasn't Sensei's son…

I would have loved to teach him why messing with me was a terrible idea. But as things were, I snatched the bandages and turned back to the scroll I was planning to go through.

Day after day, we took the hardest assignments, and under my guidance, went through them in record time. At first, it was difficult with Nara opposed to everything I said, but with time he came around, we weren't exactly friends, but he followed my lead, no question asked, and that was all I wanted.

It came out as a surprise to me when one day I saw a genin point towards me and whisper to… someone whom I can only assume to be his friends, about how he "personally" knew me.

Now, you might assume that it surprised me because I had never seen the guy in my life, but you would be wrong, what surprised me the most was the reaction of his friend. Cause they sure seemed suitably impressed by him.

When I mentioned this accident to Kurama, my social cue translator, she laughed and told me to forget it.

I listened to her; she had never been wrong in her assessment before.

Speaking of Kurama, I came across something I never in my dreams could have guessed.

After a session with Sensei about how I needed to be more interactive with my teammates, I decided to observe Kurama.

It opened a whole new can of worms.

Following the steps in "Shinobi's guide to slaughtering friends and making enemies," I realized that I needed to know more about my female teammate before deciding if she was indeed a friend or perhaps someone I should be wary of.

I followed her one evening to her home.

It was a mistake.

The kind and chirpy Kurama wasn't so chirpy when she was at home. Her aunt was… strict. I remembered the first time I met her and how she mentioned that her aunt hated her tendency to lose the shurikens.

I should have guessed that something was wrong.

Every single time her aunt raised her arm to lash at Kurama, I clenched my teeth.

I stayed hidden outside her window when she cried at night, but I did nothing. It was not my place. Should she ever ask for my help, I'd gladly help in making everything look like an accident. But until that happens, officially my hands were tied.

In the end, I decided to see how many daily doses of mercury can the elder Kurama ingest before crossing over the realm of mortals.

I might not have used the sai, Sensei gave me, but I protected her, and that's what counts.

After all, no-one but I had the right to break my toys.

The next morning when I found her smiling and greeting me, I smiled back and her face lit with happiness. There was nothing more to be done here.

After the less than stellar experience at attempting to involve myself with my teammates, I backed off.

"Making a friend involves too much risk," I tried explaining to Sensei, referring to how I had to, now carefully poison the elderly woman every day "One mistake, and everything can come falling over your head."

Sensei nodded sagely.

Somehow I got the hint we were not on the same page.

The number of chains I could now control had grown from a meager one to six, a result of my daily practice. It was during one such training that the events ensued that would change the direction of my life.

The day started like any other. We met and trained, after which Sensei took us to the mission office for our daily mission.

The mission was to escort Kumo emissaries to their rooms and keep an eye on them. It was a regular, a simple escort and observe. The day went slowly while we followed the Kumo nins as they made deals and went through meetings.

I completed the mission without a hitch.

In the evening, after we submitted our report, instead of going to the bathhouse for my water manipulation training, I decided to train my chakra chains.

Since my control over the chains was not exactly up to the mark, they sometimes tore through my clothes. I went back to my room and changed into a simple loose kimono before jumping off to the nearby forest.

Coming to the forest was the right choice. My chains were powerful and wild; the first time I released all of them at once, I… broke the training ground.

My training involved me trying to puncture branches using my chains and lift myself. It was a hard and grueling process, but my chains grew stronger, and that was what I wanted.

After a few hours when my chakra seemed to be at its limit, I sat down to rest. It was then I heard someone running towards me.

Never the one to voluntarily interact with strangers, I did the only thing I could think of and hid as well as I could.

I waited for a few moments and was proved right when I saw a ninja sprint at full speed carrying someone on his back.

Dark blue hime-cut hair… lithe frame… cream colored jacket…

By Rikudō Sennin, what was wrong with this village!

I jumped right after the Kumo nin I had escorted just a few hours back.

Jumping into a clearing, I faced the kidnapper who was now more than aware of my presence and had decided to take care of me before escaping.

I only had two kunai since my weapon pouch and seals were all back at home.

Extending one of the kunai, I threw it at the ninja.

The kunai was immediately deflected, and he sent two more at me in response. I turned and dodged both of them, letting them embed in the trunk next to me.

Objective one: gain a third kunai; completed.

"Step back, kid, and I might just let you live." The Kumo nin stared at me.

Looks like he hasn't yet noticed my identity or else he would have left Hyūga and went after me.

I ran towards him, my arms covered with a coat of chakra, hardening it as much as I could.

He blocked my punch with a kick before twisting in the air to send a second kick just as powerful towards my torso.

I backflipped and clenched a handful of dust before throwing at him. A quick kawarimi with a stone in mid-air, I took out the only kunai left with me and impaled it in the nin's arm.

Objective two: stop the threat of ninjutsu being used against me; completed.

"Now you've done it," the Kumo nin roared in pain and threw Hinata to the side before lunging at me, his eyes filled with rage.

I jumped back as fast as I could with the threat of death right at my heels. A silent bunshin later I went through the ground where the Hyūga was thrown and hid her in the roots of a nearby tree as well as I could before coming back and taking the place of my clone.

Objective three: safe extraction of hostage; completed.

Suddenly a punch came at me, and I flew crashing into the trunk of a tree.

My breaths were coming out in heaves, and my body felt like lead.

"You should have backed off when I gave you a chance, kid. "

The nin clenched my throat with his uninjured arm and threw me once again against another tree.

A small glint caught my eye, and I smiled.

The enemy nin came toward me as I stood up against the trunk, one of my arms bent at an unhealthy angle.

As soon as he came in front of me, with a burst of chakra, I sent my thin, spindly chains towards the two kunai that had initially embedded in the trunk and extracted it.

Using every bit of power I could muster, I flung it at the nin hoping to get him in the throat.

He blocked the first one, but the second one got lucky and pierced through his other shoulder.

Objective four: the extermination of the enemy; unsuccessful.

The kidnapper cried in pain as he fell to the ground, trying to dislodge the kunai in his shoulder from his other injured hand.

It was the moment I was waiting for.

Running as fast as I could I extracted the Hyūga, hoisted her up with my less injured arm and ran back to the village.

It turns out I didn't need to.

Half the Hyūga clan was out in the woods searching for the missing heiress.

Luckily, sensei was the first to spot me. A quick explanation later, the girl was taken off my back and carried to who knows where.

"Do you need help walking to the hospital?" He finally asked me.

"As if…" I mumbled before heading off to the hospital.

It took all of three steps before my legs gave out, but Sensei was there to help me. He held me up before continuing in the hospital's direction.

"What possessed you to take on a jōnin like that, Naruto?" Sensei chided in a slow, soft voice. "You should have called for help."

"I did it for you." words escaped my lips as my mind grew heavy and then I knew no more.

* * *

I woke up to the plain white walls of the hospital. Again.

It was getting repetitive.

Moving my neck to the sides to see if my motor functions were working as they should, I checked my body for the worst injuries.

"Hello Naruto-San, I see that you are up. It's earlier than I expected." A nurse came into my view before moving towards the door. "Let me get the doctor."

I saw her walking past several other stretchers and exit the room.

In one of the beds beside mine, I saw the little Hyūga girl resting.

Looking at her, I suddenly remembered the Kumo nin I fought against to save the girl's life.

'If only my aim had been better, I could have pierced his throat instead of shoulders.' I let my eyes close for a moment going through every motion of the fight in my mind.

The jōnin I fought had been strong.

He had probably held back from unleashing high-level jutsu to avoid any attention. Had he not done so, I was under no illusion that the fight would have gone much differently.

I was lucky to survive. There was no sugarcoating it.

I should have kept a few more weapons on me, being in the village had made me complacent.

The sense of security Konoha provided was an illusion. For men like us, there was no rest. We always had to be on guard.

I had assumed that because I was in the home territory; I was safe.

It wasn't a mistake I would let myself repeat again.

Thinking back to the final moments of the fight, I let my mind go through the movements of my chains.

They were weak. Bare wisps of chakra, but even so they had done their job.

If only they had been more accurate...

For the past few months, I had spent my time going through various exercises to strengthen them.

It had been foolish of me to pass over the finer aspects. A sword no matter how large or strong, is useless if it is not sharp enough.

I had to hone my art for it to become more deadly.

Turning my head to look at Kabuto standing at a distance, examining one of the other patients, inspiration struck me.

What I needed was to fine-tune my chains, and who better to learn it from than an Iryō-nin?

Doctors were trained to channel their chakra to the exact locations, or else they were more likely to harm the patients than heal them.

With the regular application of medical chakra, courtesy of Kabuto and my tendency to cover my broken appendage with natural chakra, it was only a matter of weeks before my arm was back to normal.

In those few weeks, I had interacted with the silver-haired boy and had gotten to know him better.

Apparently, he was an orphan who had come to the village when he was a kid.

Any doubt I had, regarding his lack of loyalty was taken care of when he one day embarrassingly revealed of his failures in the chūnin exams.

Anyone who had failed those exams four times was not a threat in my books.

If not for his excellent control over chakra and his vast knowledge of human anatomy, I would have considered him a civilian.

He had been apprehensive at first about teaching me medical jutsu, but my persistence brought him around.

I was taken aback when I saw people on the streets nodding at me as I walked past them. To me, it was a surreal experience.

Sure, people had grown more respectful after I had won the chūnin exams, but it was a detached sort of respect.

They knew of my prowess and respected my blood.

Seeing the people around me, I was sure that a few of them even had smiles on their faces.

I was no longer the pariah of the village.

Not that everyone held me in the same regards. No, most of them were still indifferent to me, but there was a change, chiefly where the Hyūga was concerned.

People had noticed me, and they wanted to get close to me.

For the umpteenth time that month, I contemplated my decision to save the Hyūga heiress.

* * *

The ANBU found the Kumo nin covered in blood, trying to cross the village walls.

He would have almost succeeded had the aburame insects not picked up the scent of fresh blood.

It was a worrying fact that the man could get away as far as he did; It showed that there was a spy in the village.

Someone had been making sure that the Kumo nin knew the exact timing of the change in guards and the passageways with fewest eyes on them.

There was a traitor amidst the higher echelons of Konoha, and the Raikage had used the information to the very best of his ability.

The plan was flawless; He even had people working in the village that would have made sure of his agent's escape.

By all logic and reason, the Byakugan should have been his by now.

A sent a punch crashing through the wall, breaking through the bricks and concrete.

For years now he had been trying to get bloodlines in his village.

Kumo had been one of the last villages to form. By the time they had come around, most of the bloodlines had already joined one or the other village. It only left them with the strength Kami had provided in the arms of men.

They had no Kekkei-Genkai, and yet they had preserved.

A remember the fury he had felt when he had heard of Yagura killing the bloodlines in Kiri.

It was preposterous.

It was sinful.

He had tried helping the people escape the war-torn country but was, for most parts, unsuccessful.

Even a few who escaped and settled in Kumo were later found to have "accidentally" died.

Yagura was a man who didn't allow his prisoners to escape. He was infamous for sending his nins to make sure they finished the job.

Say what you will about the Kiri nins, but they were dedicated to their Kage.

Hunter-nins spent years tracking and following their targets until they completed their mission.

There was no way to get a bloodline user from Kiri. So, A had tried the next best thing.

He had tried taking one from Konoha.

Truth be told, no one in their right mind would have dared even think about it barely a decade ago, but the Konoha of today was a husk of its former self.

He had spent months making and ironing out the plan to bring into his village one of the most powerful bloodlines in the elemental nations.

Everything was perfect.

After years the main Hyūga household had produced daughters.

A child from a male bloodline user had a 50% chance of passing on the Kekkei-Genkai, but a female will always pass on her hereditary traits to the next generation.

He even had men in the village who were paid to make sure that everything went along fine.

It was supposed to be a win-win situation.

If the ambassador was successful, the village would get a breeding machine, and if they killed him, the village would have received the Hyūga in question who took the life of their ambassador.

And then the spawn of the only man to have surpassed him in raw speed had intervened.

Namikaze Minato was not a person you messed with.

The man was a Fūton user for crying out loud, and yet, no amount of lightning was enough to match his speed.

He was a demon, and that was when he didn't use his Kami forsaken technique.

No, Flying Raijin was something that was better off buried and forgotten.

A's carefully laid out plan was now in disarray and Kumo had to pay reprisal for the damages against Konoha.

Not to mention the loss of face. It was a disaster.

If only the boy had killed his ninja, everything would have been so much easier.

For the ninja in question to not have recognized the boy was beyond foolish. No, he wouldn't have minded if someone as incompetent as the man, had died.

His assistant entered the room upon hearing the loud crash and began picking up the papers strewn across the office.

A sighed.

Although, had his agent been killed, he would have never gotten to know of the young Namikaze.

Not that the agent had known the identity of his superior.

Upon questioning, the man had revealed that the boy who interfered with his plan, had chakra chains coming from his back.

For one moment, A's blood had turned cold.

No one of his generation could ever forget the damage those chakra chains were capable of.

Those were the weapons of the past which every sane shinobi across the elemental nations feared.

It had taken a combined force of three great villages to defeat a clan of five hundred.

And yet, the price they had paid was far higher than they could have ever thought.

For the Uzumaki to be back, it was not something he wanted to believe.

It was his secretary who had reminded him of Minato's son.

It had been rumored that the yellow-flash had married the Uzumaki heiress, but at the time he had thought nothing of it.

He had seen the boy in the chūnin exams using chains of steel and had thought of eliminating the problem before it became too large, but one look at Hiruzen and he had stopped.

The Sandaime Hokage was old; he wasn't weak.

A was not arrogant enough to think that he could defeat the older man. There was a possibility that he might win, but A wasn't stupid enough to bet his life on it.

No, all bets were off when it came to Konoha these days.

They were growing stronger.

The village could have killed his agent and not revealed the young Namikaze, but they chose to let everyone know that Yondaime's kid was ready.

It was a move on their part.

It was time he made his.

Recently, it had come to his knowledge that Hanzō of the salamander had finally hit the dirt.

For someone to defeat the suiton user, he was under no illusion that the man must be powerful.

Amegakure was closed for the past few years.

However, he wasn't interested in Ame. No, what he was interested in, was the summoning scroll of the salamanders.

According to his assistant who was also his spy mistress, Iwa held the knowledge regarding the whereabouts of the scroll.

He was willing to bet that Ōnoki would have no problem giving up the scroll in exchange for intelligence against the son of the man who single-handedly defeated his entire nation.

The deal might have been challenging to make, had the summoning scroll belonged to some other clan, but as it was, salamanders were not a species of summons well suited to the terrains of Iwa.

In exchange for this new information, he was sure that Iwa would be willing to provide him with the contract.

* * *

Danzo was not having a good day.

His root operatives were working in overdrive, gathering intelligence from the nations around the globe.

In the years following the Kyūbi's attack, the village had been low on power.

Sandaime had seen the advantage of the extra forces his old friend commanded and had made root part of the legal force.

Even so, the particular unit was only to perform covert operations.

Following the downfall, the village had started taking on a lot more unsavory missions, most of them included assassination, defamation, and sabotage.

It was not something the Hokage could have assigned to the jōnin of the village.

Most of them were dead and those who weren't had been assigned to teach the next generation.

In a situation as precarious as they were in, having a dead or worse, a captured agent in foreign lands was tantamount to political suicide.

As it was, they were already barely functioning.

What they needed was a group of highly trained covert operatives who were willing to serve the village, no matter the cost.

Root had been the only way.

Slowly but surely, the village had risen from its ashes.

And Danzo had been one of the reasons why. The old shinobi had been willing to make hard decisions.

It had been him, who had ventured through the shadows, making deals with devils.

He gave up his ideas, his faith, his self — all for the sake of the village.

Tobirama had once said to him that no tree, no matter how powerful, can stand against the force of time unless it had strong roots.

The roots that would not hesitate to venture as deep as it took to make sure that the tree stood tall.

Danzo had gone to the deepest pits of hell to make sure that his precious village drudged on.

While Hiruzen became the Kami, the leader who comforted his forces, encouraging them and nourishing them, he became the Yami. The shadow whom people feared to face.

He had been more than happy to take on all the hate, the fear, the disrespect, all for the sake of his village.

Initially, the council had decided to place Naruto in the root program to provide the young jinchūriki with the strict training in hopes of unsealing the Kyūbi's chakra, but it had been him who had refused.

The boy was the legacy of Yondaime, and no matter how weak, he might grow to be, his name was more than enough to rally men behind him.

Power came in many forms.

The villagers had to be a part of Namikaze's growth.

There was a possibility that they might hate him at first, but time was a powerful healer. Our minds tend to haze out and forget bad memories; it remembers only the good parts.

With time the villagers would forget the destruction, the Kyūbi incurred, but they would surely remember the legacy of the Fourth.

Fortunately, the boy had exceeded all expectations and had grown to be just like his father if not a bit… sociopathic.

Not that it was a terrible thing.

In their line of work, a bit paranoia and killing-instinct went a long way.

The chūnin exams had proved that the boy had taken his heritage to heart. His psychological evaluations hadn't painted the picture of sanest shinobi, but the boy had shown loyalty to the village, and that was a far cry from someone like Orochimaru.

He had done all he could to help the boy from the background; books on sealing were not something you could easily procure.

He had to call in quite a few favors to get the boy those priceless treasures.

Roots had been there to protect the boy from prying eyes and assassination attempts.

Resources were spent to make sure the boy received healthiest of meals, the best medical treatment.

But it had all been worth it.

The boy had grown in leaps and bounds. He had also managed to invoke his family legacy and now controlled the same chains his mother had once commanded.

The business with Kumo had changed it all.

The boy had interfered and stopped the assailant.

In the havoc that followed, it had been decided that the ambassador should be killed and as a reprisal, a Hyūga should be provided to Kumo, but the clan had flat-out refused.

After the loss of the Uchiha, they were in no position to lose another clan and were forced to reveal the child.

It had been unfortunate.

His spies in Kumo had let the information on A's recent interactions with Iwa be known to him, and it didn't bode well for the young jinchūriki.

Naruto was powerful, far more than any of his peers, but the boy was still that… a boy.

He had much to grow, and the village was not strong enough to lose an asset like him.

For the Namikaze to die would be not only a significant loss to their forces but also a massive hit to morale.

For all the hate, the villagers seemed to harbor against the boy; there had always been a sense of respect within their hearts.

They knew that the boy was a Namikaze, and they knew that just like his father, the boy had the potential to one day bring the village back to its former glory.

But the boy would be unable to do anything if he was dead.

Opening the door to the Hokage's chamber, he sighed.

The things he did for his village...

It took some convincing, but Hiruzen had agreed with his plan.

The reports from Kumo were more than damning, and if Iwa decided to attack now, they were in no position to defend the boy.

It would be hard to explain to the villagers why hundreds of their shinobi were sent to fight for the sake of a boy, even if the boy was the son of their former Hokage.

No, the best way would be to send Naruto as far away as possible before the Rock attacked.

The small, purple scroll sitting in front of them was the perfect opportunity.

Naruto would be safe in the Land hidden in the Snow.

* * *

When he was an adolescent, Ōnoki was once tasked with cleaning his village's Stone Monument. As he did so, his grandfather, the First Tsuchikage, came and spoke with him.

Ōnoki, who believed that the First was just a cheap old man to have such a simple thing as the symbol of the village, was then told that the stone represented the unmovable will of the shinobi of the village.

The First then told Ōnoki that he too possessed that strong will, but would lose it if he didn't face adversities with determination.

When the third great ninja war broke, he had held on to that will.

Thousands of his men had died and just as many had been injured.

His unmovable will broke and his resolve crumbled in the monstrosity's face that had been the Yondaime Hokage.

Minato had been the one man; he would never forget.

He was the perfect shinobi.

If only the boy had been born in Iwa...

His beloved village had seen the death toll few others had, and it had forced him to place a flee-on-sight order to stop any more of his shinobi from going after the man.

When the Fourth had been killed in the Kyūbi attack, his village had rejoiced. They had taken back their glory and had wreaked havoc on the village that had killed thousands of their brothers and sisters.

They had destroyed the leaf.

And they needed to do so again if they didn't want a repeat of the blonde Kage.

He had known of the man's spawn. How could he not?

They had done all they could to kill the boy until the Daimyō had intervened.

But he had kept tabs on the boy.

Unfortunately, the spies who went after the boy tended to have unfortunate accidents, so most of what he knew of the boy was second handed information.

The psychological evaluation during the chūnin exams had been promising.

If what he had heard was correct, then it seems the boy was a ticking time-bomb.

He had no problem in leaving the boy alone, for when he exploded, it would be even more satisfying to see the spawn of the man who destroyed his village, destroy the leaf.

That was until the Raikage had sent his missive.

It was bold of the man to use him and his village to destroy Konoha, and that was not counting the Salamander summon.

Hanzō had been one of the strongest shinobi of his generation.

He had been the most powerful suiton user in the known history.

Ōnoki wasn't foolish enough to believe that even in his prime, he could have taken over the man.

For someone to defeat him, it was nothing to dismiss easily. He had tried getting more information on the man who had taken Hanzō's place, but Amegakure had been closed off.

He might not even have known of the whole affair had one of Hanzō's men not came to him with the summoning scroll.

Unfortunately, before the man had uttered a single word, a loose paper had cut the ninja's throat.

That had been surprising.

To this date, no one knew how the paper flew from his desk and did what it did. A few had assumed that Ōnoki had killed the man for reasons unknown, and he had not bothered responding to the rumors.

It had taken all of two seconds for him to place the scroll inside a barrier and secure his room.

The one good thing that came out of the whole incident was the summoning scroll of the Salamanders.

Though he knew that the Summon would be less than useful, if not a liability, in the terrain of Iwa; it was still a powerful bargaining chip.

And the time had come to use the chip for all it was worth.

He would make sure that the village hidden in the leaf would be reduced to ashes.

In exchange for the summoning scroll, he would make Kumo give him soldiers to attack Konoha.

As for his contribution to the war, Akatsuki would be more than enough.

* * *

 **Muse:**

Like it? Hate it? Review and share your opinions…

Not as big as the last chapter, but I hope that the content was good enough.

I won't say much about this one but give an orphan a father figure, and there would be few things the kid wouldn't do for him.

You are going to read many things that will be contradicted and proved wrong later in the story. Be sure to read every line carefully.

The reason? Simple.

The story follows the point of view format. Each character expresses their opinions regarding what they think to be true. What a character might believe to be true might be his misconception (which might or might not be corrected further down the story).

For most parts, if you read all the points of view, you'll easily be able to differentiate between truth and misconception.

Fun fact: Just before Pain's Assault, a Hyūga is seen working for the Konoha Barrier Team. I suppose that's one way the main family could work without exposing themselves to the high probability of death in the field.

I used to think Nandaime had no equal when it came to water techniques, but researching for this chapter, I came across page 143 of Databook 3 by Kishimoto where he stated that Hanzō's prowess over the water was unsurpassed.

"NaruHina? Is that the beginning of a pairing I just read?" Is that what I hear you asking, my faithful readers? Worry not… It's just a simple scene… Or is it? ***laughs devilishly** (devilish cause devil is charming, evil, but charming; just like yours truly)

Danzo… Ah! One of the most underrated character.

The guy was a power-hungry man… I agree. But he was a power-hungry man willing to do anything for his village.

He did many bad things. Half the problems in Shippuden could be traced back to him, but you have to agree, the man did what he did for the village.

He was just a patriotic bast**d who went too far.

Also, thank you, everyone, who followed and favorited this story.

Rate this chapter on a scale of 1/2 a banana to 4.8 parsecs.

Follow and favorite for further updates.

Stay tuned,

Clumsy Psychopath


	6. Chapter 6: The All Seeing Eye

Disclaimer: Naruto does not belong to me.

* * *

 **Chapter 6: The All Seeing Eye**

* * *

 _Recap: As for his contribution to the war, Akatsuki would be more than enough._

Morning arrived, and I rose just as the alarm was about to go off.

It was already a few weeks since the Hyūga incident, and I had become a local celebrity of sorts. Not that I understood it at the moment.

It was more than a bit disconcerting, walking on the streets and seeing people smiling at me.

At first, I came to the apparent conclusion any sane ninja would come to; it was a set-up, a ploy to make me feel at 'home' and kill me when my guard was down.

Little did they knew that I never dropped my guard.

After a few days of a nerve-wracking experience, I had enough of it and went to my human-me-translator and explained to her of the elaborate plot devised by the villagers to off me.

She laughed.

If it weren't for the fact that it might sadden sensei, I would have sliced open her throat already.

Reasoning that acting on impulse never made any ninja popular with their comrades; I resigned to politely asking her what she was laughing about.

"It's obvious… They like you, Baka!" She continued sniggering.

Not understanding what she was going on about, but not willing to lose any more face either, I turned back and walked away.

Considering my rotten luck, it should have come as no surprise to me that my other teammate was just as unwilling to act professionally as his female counterpart.

Puberty seemed to have punched the Nara square in the jaws, and he has taken to showing rebellious attitude.

Just last week, his inability to follow my commands to the letter caused three bandits to escape in a simple track and eliminate mission.

Usually, I wouldn't have cared about it in the least, but him second-guessing my orders while at the mission was slowly becoming annoying. Like, tie the guy to a chair and slowly pull his nails with a plier kind of annoying.

However, I once again wasn't able to follow through on my desires… cause sensei.

Sometimes, I think the Snake Sannin had the right idea when he turned androgynous, then again it's easier in our society to gain fame and reputation if you are a male so maybe I should not be so hasty about discarding the cumulative worth of my family jewels.

I have no idea how Yakushi managed to remain as sane as he was through his stint as a teenager.

Then again, he did fail in the genin exam four times, so maybe he wasn't the ideal ninja to follow the footsteps of.

Speaking of Yakushi, he wasn't that bad a bloke.

He too, had confided in me that understanding the physical aspect of the human body was way easier than understanding the mental aspect.

It was partly the reason he became a doctor.

Our partnership, if you'd call it that, that was extremely one-sided, in that it favored only me. He didn't even seem to mind that I was taking advantage of him.

My broken arm, the gift I received from my altercation with Kumo kidnapper, had forced me to visit the hospital every other day.

At first, it appeared to be just a regular clean break. Unfortunately, it was anything but.

The raw chakra of the nine tails had healed it almost instantly, and I hadn't paid any attention to it at the moment.

It turns out, Kyūbi's chakra is not a certified Iryo-nin.

The bones had to be broken manually and set before letting it heal again and considering how fast the external chakra worked, its corrosive quality and other thousand factors that I tuned out while the doctors were explaining them, it was going to be one long process.

Yakushi assured me that the chakra was acclimating to its container and so it was a one-time thing and probably wouldn't repeat.

At first, I was more than a bit suspicious of his kind nature, but over a month when he didn't betray me in any way, I slowly relaxed some of the tension I felt around him.

The fact that the young genin was giving me tuition in chakra control had probably helped.

It was a calculated move on my part.

I let him know that I was looking for someone to teach me the basics of medical jutsu and more delicate aspects of chakra manipulation.

It took all of three minutes for us to confirm that the foreign chakra in my body would never allow me to heal anyone, bar perhaps the Kinkaku and Ginkaku brothers, but that was neither here nor there.

However, adding medical jutsu to my arsenal was never part of my plan, and so I wasn't much saddened.

No, what I wanted was much more elaborate. I remembered the puppeteers from the time we went to Sunagakure; upon researching, I found that the craft was part of an extensive technique that required years to master.

The chakra thread used to control those puppets were so thin, they were almost invisible to the naked eye. To simultaneously manage a thousand of those threads was a testament to the sheer force of will and control someone like Akasuna no Sasori held.

If I could incorporate even a tiny percentage of that control in my chains, I'm sure few would be able to stand before them.

Appealing to the more scientific side of Yakushi's mind, I hinted him of my plan.

As it turns out, the guy had a large social circle but no friends to speak of. A week into it and he was hooked on the idea of his "best friend" controlling 'organic' puppets with chakra chains.

Yakushi and I went on a few fishing trips to 'acquire' some small animals and fishes. Something about hunting and improving my accuracy. I wasn't really sure but followed his advice nonetheless.

The weeks bled to a month, and now I can with certainty say that my accuracy with my chains is at par if not better than my skill with senbon.

Initially, my idea had been to control dead carcasses of animals with my chains which would later have developed into an ability to control the dead body.

After multiple sleepless nights, cursing and head-banging, I concluded that it was not possible.

Now, when I say not possible, I don't necessarily mean that the act in itself is impossible to accomplish. No, what I mean is that the control it requires to do what I had initially thought to be a simple project was frustratingly high.

Accomplished I might be for my age; I am no Senju Tsunade.

Yakushi hadn't given up on the idea, but I knew it was a task in futility.

On the plus side, I can now simply go out on a stroll by the river and catch fish by the dozens.

And that's what I usually did.

Unless there was a mission or an equally important task to finish, my afternoons and evenings were spent by the river working on my suiton techniques.

Sensei was kind enough to lend me the books from his collections, and some of the more obscure books were found in the library, courtesy of an emotionally challenged librarian.

Since water is widely considered as the most straightforward element to mold and manipulate, it was the one I started on before any other.

It had nothing to do with my fascination with the trident I saw Momochi create. Nope... absolutely nothing.

Working day in and day out, I finally upgraded my skills to the point where I was able to make a bo out of water.

The first time I managed, it was one of my favorite memories...

It was sensei's birthday, and I had gone to visit him with the pretext of looking up some of his rarer scrolls.

Neji, being the little bugger he was, was once again bugging me about Hinata. Ever since the incident, he has been even more of a bother.

Finally, having enough of the brat, I turned towards him and with a pleasant smile challenged him to a spar.

The kid had no clue what I had in store for him.

Seeing the predatory glint in my eye, sensei balked.

"Why don't you spar with me, Naruto," He said, pushing the young boy aside.

Narrowing my eyes, I made the seal of confrontation.

After a small bout of shurikenjutsu, which he countered with ease, I went in for the kill.

I was already pissed off at Neji, and so I took off my shirt, four chains lashing out of my back towards sensei.

Having no other choice, he backflipped a couple of times before stomping on the ground with his right foot, making a staff emerge from the ground.

Taking hold of the staff, he jumped towards me once again.

It took all of my four chains to counter the staff while my hands were busy trying to defend from his kicks and occasional jabs.

I was going full-on and yet was losing my ground. Slowly inching back to the small stool in the corner where a jar was kept, I reached out to the water and called it forth.

Immediately, I too had a staff in my hands, albeit it was one made of water. Sensei jumped back and looked at me with a hint of pride.

"All in all, not too shabby for a soon to be nine-year-old chūnin," he said, letting his staff crumble to dust and walking inside, ruffling my hair on the way.

It was all worth it.

Every scrap, every grunt, every bit of pain was worth that smile.

Finishing my breakfast, I headed towards training ground two, our usual meeting place.

Usually, it was sensei and me waiting for our other teammates, but today, Kurama and Nara were seated silently waiting for me to show up.

"Come Naruto, we were waiting for you to join us." sensei said, motioning for Nara to make some space for me.

"As you all know," He continued after I sat down, "Konoha does not usually receive the best of the missions. Even our daimyō tends to favor Suna over us."

A sad truth.

Customer will always go for the village that would ask for the least price, and past relationships can take you only so far.

"Ever since we won the chūnin exams," here he nodded at me, to which Nara scowled "We have seen an increase in the quality of missions."

"Today I've gathered you here for a vital job" here he brought a purple scroll from behind him. "The Hokage has seen us fit enough to provide us with a tremendously delicate mission."

"We are to escort the princess of Yuki no Kuni, the Land hidden in the Snow, back to her palace. Because of the duration and the chances of fighting during the mission, it is categorized as a B rank." Sensei opened the document for us to see the details.

Looking at my other teammates, I found their faces showing just as much excitement as I felt.

Going on long term mission such as this was proof that the village thought us worthy of our headbands.

"Ayumu and Shigezane, go home and pack up for the trip, we'll be leaving tomorrow at six from the northern gate." looking at me he signaled me to wait.

"This is going to be a tough mission," he commented, rolling back the scroll "do you know why?"

"We are a weak team. A princess should have received a better, more experienced team, and yet I find the scroll handed to us." I shared with him my thoughts.

"Yes," He nodded "Usually that should have been the case, but a powerful team would have attracted too much attention." He looked hesitant.

"Be there on time, Naruto." He said after a moment jumping off towards a roof.

Looking to make sure the way was clear, I too shunshinned off.

On my way back to the apartment, I went to a small weapon store in the more remote part of the town. The owner was a branch member of the Hyūga family I met recently while training with sensei.

The guy was extremely thankful to me, something about me risking my life to save the honor of their clan.

I wasn't sure about it, but I wasn't going to discard the opportunity of acquiring good quality weapons with occasional discounts and so sat through the humiliation of him praising my skills at such a young age.

Entering the shop, I thought I saw a grey-eyed girl adorning two buns and wearing a sleeveless qipao-style blouse running towards the door partitioning the store half from home.

"Ah! Namikaze-san," the store-owner turned towards me with a small bow "How may I help you?"

Handing him a small list of weapons and equipment I had compiled on my way there, I stood back looking at some of the more intricate and expensive tools adorning the walls.

A few moments later, he came to me with a small bag containing various selections of kunai, shuriken, senbons and ration bars and handed them to me before running up the cost of the entire thing.

"Looks like you are going on a long term mission." He mused, handing me the bill.

I nodded and handed the man the required sum before walking out; Small talk had never been my strong suit.

Once I reached the small apartment, I spent the day, sharpening all my equipment and giving them a once over for any damage or chinks.

Once assured everything was just as it should have been, I arranged them into small piles I took out my brush and rice paper before sealing them all in one medium-sized scroll.

Once finished with the preparation, I put some rice in the cooker and settled down to research more about the mission.

If the map was to be believed, the mission could take as long as a year.

Once I confirmed that yes, I would have to spend the next ten to twelve months away from Konoha, I got up to make sure I had enough clothes for the trip.

Closing the doors and moving towards the market area to look for some warm clothes, I found Yakushi on the way.

"Naruto." He said, waving a hand in my direction, "Where have you been?"

Knowing how the boy could be, I made my way towards him, "I've been busy."

"So what brings you to the market?" He continued, once he came to me, "Shopping for your monthly rations?"

"We're to go to on a long term mission, and I needed some clothes," I said walking once again towards the general direction of the clothing store.

"Long term mission, huh?" He looked a bit disappointed "When will you be back?"

"Around a year, maybe." I said, looking at the clothes hung in one of the windows, "I'm not sure."

For a moment, no one spoke, turning to him, I saw him thinking of something.

"Is there something I can help you with?" I said after a small pause.

Yakushi hesitated but then slowly nodded his head "Actually… yes."

"Oh?"

"I was looking to move out and haven't found the right home, may I have your place for the time being?"

Finding no problem in the arrangement and with the bonus of not having to hire genins for monthly cleaning while I was away, I accepted.

"Thanks, Naruto." He grinned, "You're awesome."

"Come on, I'll take you to a friend of my father," he said, taking hold of my hand "I'll ask him to give you a huge discount."

After a rough afternoon of shopping, I headed back to the room.

"I'll leave the keys under the doormat," I told him before parting ways.

"Thanks a lot, Naruto." Yakushi looked genuinely happy "If there is anything I could do to pay you back..."

"Now, that you mentioned it," I began contemplating if I should trust him with the secret "There is a lovely old woman I'd like you to get to know..."

The evening was once again spent sealing all the clothes and packing anything I felt was necessary for the trip.

My study with the sealing arts was going as planned, and now I was able to think up seals on the moment.

The real trick was to compact the seal.

Creating a seal is a complex process of that there is no doubt. However harder still was the process to transform a full set of seals into something smaller.

To think that my father was able to reduce the formula of Hiraishin no Jutsu to the point where it could comfortably sit on a kunai.

I was under no illusion that such mastery over the art was years if not decades away for me.

I had once tried to understand the seal on my stomach.

Closing all the curtains of my room, I had channeled the chakra and let the ink appear on my skin.

It was a surreal feeling. Before our fight with Momochi, I thought of myself as a decent student in the art of fūinjutsu.

I was a fool.

The sealing array holding back the might of the most powerful of the nine chakra no bakemono was more complicated than I could have ever imagined.

Moreover, to think my father designed it while fighting the Kyūbi, in his head.

It was madness.

Such raw genius was the reason why every village was afraid of Namikaze Minato.

Grabbing my sealing kit and packing it as well, I turned towards the room and started cleaning the entire place down.

Cardboard boxes were filled with books and other knick-knacks before being taped and arranged up in a corner.

It took hours, but finally, everything was done, and the place looked pristine enough for a new guest.

Eating dinner in peace, I arranged all the scrolls and equipment in a corner before laying on the futon for some extra hours of rest before the mission.

Just like always, I dreamt about sealing.

The day came, and I woke up to the sound of birds.

Having a quick meal and packing everything before closing the door and leaving the keys under the mat, I jumped towards the northern gate.

For most parts, the details about the mission were unknown to us.

It was not unusual.

Escorts were only told what they needed to know. As far as the mission was concerned, all we had to do was drop the princess and return.

It was a long term mission, sure, but relatively harmless.

Stopping just before flipping in the air and dropping next to sensei, I stood up and for the first time looked at our client.

From the looks of it, sensei had just arrived as well.

The princess was… young.

She was barely eleven with jet black hair and pale skin, the sharpness of her facial structure reminding me of the aristocracy. Her dark brown eyes were gawking at me before she seemed to remember something and turned away in a huff.

Accompanying her were seven bodyguards.

The men seemed strong and agile with muscled arms and blades jutting out of sheaths tied to their backs.

"Naruto," sensei smiled, "you're early."

I chose not to answer and continued observing the bodyguards.

They were powerful, and if push came to shove, I was sure they could handle a couple of chūnin with ease.

Their posture screamed of heavy training and discipline.

"I'm Fuyuki," one of them came forward giving us a bow "the head of her majesty's royal bodyguards."

"Good morning Fuyuki-san," sensei said, giving the man a polite bow as well "I'm Hyūga Hizashi, this is my student, Namikaze Naruto. And those," he said, pointing to a pair coming towards us he continued "are Kurama Ayumu and Nara Shigezane."

The guard's eyebrow rose a little at my name, but he said nothing. Turning to the little girl, he bowed, "She is our princess, Yukino-Sama, the only daughter of our last king, please take good care of us."

Hearing her name, the princess stole a gaze and sniffed again before turning back.

Making sure that Kurama and Nara were decently packed sensei turned to the procession.

"Let us go."

* * *

Looking at the crowd of men and women walking the streets of his village, a pale looking man sitting on a wheelchair sighed in contentment.

For as long as he could remember, his village was a place ground between the power struggles of the other great five.

When he was a kid, he once found a notebook telling about the history of his beloved village.

It told him about the time when his village was one of the most powerful out there, of the time of tranquility, of happiness.

Everything changed when their peaceful village lost its power.

The village of tears - the place where Kami weeps. That was what they called his village.

He was under no illusion. No, he knew that just like the others his village too had cruelly slaughtered many.

That hundred if not thousands of lives had been lost because of his village.

However, they had paid the price.

They had suffered and had atoned for their sins.

And now that they knew the price of war, the villagers never wanted to pay it again.

Looking at the slow rain drizzling down, he was sure. Yes, his village had paid for their sins and were worthy of peace and happiness.

They knew how far men could go in the pursuit of power, and they wanted nothing to do with it.

Bringing forward a shaking hand, he pointed towards the sky and wished for the clouds to part ways for him.

A small ripple appeared in his metallic eyes, and suddenly, the rain stopped.

Clouds parted to let the sun illuminate and warm the village.

Cries of joy and excitement arose, and children came out with their friends on the streets.

Had he wanted, he could have stopped those clouds or any cloud for that matter from ever entering his domain, but for now, appearances were needed.

Turning to the blue-haired girl standing by his side, her head bowed in respect; he nodded at her.

"Its time for Akatsuki to meet."

"As you wish Pain-Sama." the girl said in a soft yet clear voice, "I'll bring them to the cave."

With a sigh, the redhead waved a hand towards the sky and once again clouds took over the village and rain fell.

Sensing her dismissal, the girl turned to leave.

"Take care, Konan." she heard a weak voice come from where the man sat on the wheelchair "You are all I've left."

"I will… Nagato." A small smile blossomed on her face before wings erupted from her back, and she jumped off the tower.

Three days later, in a discreet location known only to a few, nine of the most powerful shinobi of their generation were standing in silence, waiting for the tenth member to arrive.

The combined might of these shinobi was enough to annihilate a village and yet they were weak in comparison to the one they were waiting for.

For each knew that their leader held the eyes of Samsara, and not even their combined might was equal to what those eyes were capable of.

Coldness washed over their skin and even Hoshigaki Kisame, the man known as the tailless tailed beast shivered when the tenth member arrived.

"Friends..." The new man, an orange-haired man with rippled eyes and black piercings through his skin began.

"It is after a long time that we've come together like this." silence reigned, and none were foolish enough to believe that they could ever be 'friends' to someone like him.

"For past years, you've been busy," here, a negligent wave of hand crushed a boulder kept at a distance to a fine powder which flowed towards the man and came together to form nine small figures animated to look like real versions of their counterparts fighting and killing men and women made of sand.

"You completed the missions you were given and were faithful to the cause… for most parts." here the sand came together to form the visage of the Snake Sannin which the man held up in his palms before crushing it and looking at each of them.

"However, the time has come for this organization to do what it was made for," the small figures broke, and the sand transformed into a map of the elemental nations.

"The elemental nations will know pain."

The blue-haired angel of Amegakure no Sato, also known as Konan stepped forward.

"Our agents in Iwa informed us that the Tsuchikage wishes to employ our skills against Konoha."

Pointing to the two parts of the map which rose, one marked Iwa and the other Konoha, she continued.

"Tensions are at an all-time high, and we need to light just one more fuse before Rock attacks Leaf, and from then on, it'll be a game of domino."

"We have met the Tsuchikage and smoothened out the plan."

Here Deidara stepped forward, and Konan stepped back.

"Akatsuki has promised aid to Iwa in the war against Konoha." He gave a beaming smile and continued "However, we decided that Konoha needed to be weakened before the war and to that end, a small squad of Iwa blackops will make sure the jinchūriki is subdued before they make a move."

"Any questions?"

"..."

"Are we going to aid Iwa?" A raspy voice of a hunched man asked.

"What do you think?" Deidara started laughing.

"Enough!" Everyone stilled when their leader came forward to speak once more.

"As of this moment, Akatsuki will stop accepting missions and will be ready to heed my call."

After a small pause, Pain raised his hand and motioned them to disperse.

Eight swift movements later he and Konan were the only ones left in the cave.

"Come Konan; There is a lot to be done."

No one noticed a red-eyed crow heading towards the Village hidden in the Leaf.

* * *

The journey to the Land hidden in the Snow was calm if not a monotonous one.

It was good.

Foolish are those who go looking for a fight. The life of shinobi is difficult as it is. There is no need of looking for excitement in every nook and cranny.

Since it was a long term mission, Nara and Kurama had seen fit to pack only bare minimum of their belongings.

It looks like their parents had spent time explaining to them of the subtler nuances of higher-ranked missions.

It was one of the reasons why a kid from a ninja family was more likely to survive and grow stronger than one from a civilian family.

For most parts, it was the genetics and careful breeding amongst the shinobi family that resulted in better and more powerful offsprings.

However, some of it can also be attributed to the way they are brought up.

A kid from a ninja background often gets desensitized to blood and death from a young age.

Compared to that, most of the civilian kiddies have a hard time getting rid of their fear of hurting others.

Even in a mission such as this one, had the two of them belonged to a civilian family they would undoubtedly have brought a lot more stuff in their bags.

There is, after all, only so much academy can impart in four years.

Traveling at a speed that surpassed civilians but was nowhere near a chūnin, we moved towards our destination.

My initial impression of the guards was right.

They were powerful in their own right.

The head of the guards, Fuyuki was the one to carry the princess for the entire time on his back, and others were carrying bags of what looked like commodities, from tents to multiple selections of embroidered silk clothes.

The princess mostly kept to herself only whispering to her guard if there was something she needed, and that was just fine with us.

The procession slowed around the afternoon, and a tent was raised for her majesty to rest in.

Sensei spent most of the time teaching us of the terrain and different ways we can utilize it to our advantage; from the plants, we can use in case of poisoning to the hidden crevices we can use for ambushes.

After we had a light meal of a rabbit that Nara had hunted on the way we settled near the procession.

The men we were supposed to escort kept to themselves for the most part.

"So Naruto, eh?" A burly man with a thin scar on his right cheek began "What are you… six?"

Stopping my musings, I turned towards the man who had initiated the conversation I stared. Kurama had advised me to be polite towards the people we were supposed to protect.

Luckily for everyone there, Nara broke the awkward silence "He's nine."

"Pfft… As if that's any better."

The guards around us bowed as the princess walked towards us.

"Yukino-Sama" sensei gave a small bow before continuing "I assure you he is quite capable of defending you."

Luckily for us, we wouldn't have to defend them from anyone bar perhaps some of the more adventurous bandits.

"We'll see about that," turning to her guards she motioned them to start packing and headed towards Fuyuki "Let us move."

And move we did.

For the next few weeks, it became our usual routine broken only twice, once when a sudden storm had brewed overhead, and we had to take shelter and the second time when a small group of thugs had tried to rob us.

Nara had managed to kill them all even before we saw them. It was then that he told us of the shadow clones he had surrounding us from four sides.

Sensei had looked surprised, but I knew he was trying to make the boy feel better about himself.

The night shift was usually covered by us three in turns of three hours each, the first by Kurama, the second by Nara and the last one by me.

Sensei kept an overwatch, but we had no idea about when he'd pop out of a shrub, and so we were always vigilant in our duties.

The guards had their shifts and patrol laid out, which, despite our assurances, continued. At any given time there were at least two of them outside the princess's tent.

After waking at three in the morning, I took to the trees and took out my scroll on fūinjutsu.

Seeing no apparent reason to miss my studies while at the mission, I had made a few copies of the original scrolls and had brought them with me.

Spreading some of my chakra into the surroundings and letting them mix in with the morning mist around us, I settled back to read.

It ate through quite a bit of chakra and was unfeasible for extended amounts of time, but for the moment the chakra was enough to sense the presence of any intruder and needed only passing attention to maintain the technique.

Soon it was six, and everyone was busy getting ready for the day. Tents were dugout, and a few began preparing food by the campfire.

After getting ready, we once again started running towards the north.

Moving with the group for so long had given us a basic idea about the way we should pace ourselves for maximum efficiency.

The morning run was the fastest, traveling as far we can while the day was still young and everyone was refreshed. After the afternoon break, it became more of a jog before settling just at the sun began to sink.

The terrain had changed, and we were now moving through hilly areas with small forestation.

The Land was mostly clear, but the movement through the rough land was enough to tire men out.

Settling for the afternoon break, we took out our rations.

The first sign of something off about the surrounding came when one of the guards who made way for the bushes to relieve himself dropped dead, courtesy of a senbon jutting out of his neck.

For a moment, everyone stopped before all hell broke loose.

"Everyone! take cover" sensei shouted over the commotion.

"Ayumu! Return fire. Shigezane, find how many are there. Naruto, cover your teammates" he commanded before heading for where the other guards had raised their shields and were covering the tent from all-sided.

"Hakkeshō Kaiten" sensei began the first phase of Eight Trigrams Palms Revolving Heaven "Eight palms!"

The winds around us picked up, and after a few moments, the shower of senbons stopped.

"Shit!" I turned towards Nara, "They killed my clones before I had a chance to do anything, although I did manage to see a red blur before the clone was crushed to death."

We were on edge, waiting for the enemy to attack us again.

"There!" Kurama shouted. Judging from her looks, it looked like she had used her Kekkei Genkai to mess with the nature around us and find their positions.

From behind the trees came three shinobi with red armor and black clothes hiding their face.

From the looks of it, one was the captain, and the other two, his subordinates.

Locking his eyes with sensei, the leader directed one of them towards us and the second one toward where the princess was standing.

The men hadn't been standing idle and had their weapons drawn out, ready for the worst.

Taking off my shirt, I too concentrated my chakra and let my chains slither out hovering in the air around me like cobras waiting to strike at their prey.

"Kurama, go inside the tent," I said motioning to the girl, "you will be our last line of defense."

The girl was not ready to fight such high caliber ninja and was better off in the tent protecting the target.

"Nara, with me!"

"Already on it." the said boy rippled through hand seals "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu," another few seals followed "Kage Mane no Jutsu."

The enemy nin was surrounded on three sides, shadows ready to skewer him.

"Now."

Taking out my sai, I jumped at the man.

After the first few slashes which he easily deflected with a kunai, turning and twisting in mid-air to dodge from the chains lunging at him, I tried another approach.

Throwing a few shurikens, I jumped back escaping his kunai by inches.

One of Nara's clone jumped in to give me a breather after the fast kenjutsu.

Leaping back once again as soon as the clone dispelled which took all of three seconds we engaged him in taijutsu.

The speed escalated to an insane level, to the point where all we could do was follow our instincts and not get killed.

It was a clone who managed to hit him first.

Surprised and enraged at the sudden punch to his back he focused on Nara and in the process drew the first blood.

As soon as the black-hooded nin shifted his focus to Nara, I backflipped and brought my hands together.

"Katon: Ryūka no Jutsu" a dragon of fire erupted out of my mouth and charged towards the man.

"Doton: Dosekiryū" A similar dragon arose from the ground and headed towards me, although compared to mine it was humongous and capable of crushing everyone around me.

Bringing my hands to a snake, I put up as much chakra into my jutsu as I could.

"Kuchiyose: Rashōmon" A ten-foot solid piece of stone door rose from the ground just as the massive dragon was about to hit me.

It took all of my chains holding the doors in place to stop the incoming earthen dragons, and even then, the door was dented.

Huffing and moving back, I saw a similar scene towards where the guards were fighting another one of these monsters, although they seemed to be doing a much better job at it.

Of the six remaining guards, two were thrown in a side their torso pierced with a rock.

Observing the way those guards held their swords pointed at their bleeding opponent reminded me of the samurai from the Land of Iron.

Focusing back on the fight, I kawarimied with a leaf falling off the tree.

"Kongō Fūsa" My chains created a barrier protecting us from a barrage of kunai before I took the unconscious Nara and shunshinned off to the tent where by now the guards had taken care of their opponent and went to help sensei.

Heading back to the man, and now mostly empty of chakra, I devised a seal in mid-air and aimed it towards the man.

"Fūin Kekkai" a light barrier went up around the man giving me time to breathe.

A loud blast brought my attention back to the man in question, and another blast threw me back several feet back against a rock jutting out of the ground.

The man was now running towards me at high speed.

"Kūraigeki" The air lightning strike headed towards me, and there was nothing I could have done to stop it.

My reserves were down, and my body felt like lead.

Bracing myself for the strike, which I was sure could kill me, I brought my hands together in front of my face.

However, none came.

Hearing a squelch of what sounded like the tearing of flesh, I opened my eyes and saw sensei looking at me.

The hands retracted and left a gaping hole in his chest.

His smile was just like the day we first met. Those calm and serene eyes were moist with pain, but his smile never faltered.

And then he fell.

Anguish filled my very being and rage, my heart.

Hate was all that was left.

Towards the man, for hurting my sensei.

Towards myself, for being so weak.

Towards the world, for being so unfair.

One moment the man was standing before me preparing his next jutsu and the next, hundreds of chains darker than blood had pierced him, tearing through bone, flesh and sinew.

Just for a second, everything was perfect. I felt a rush of energy, unlike any other.

For one second, I was a god.

For one second, I knew I was powerful enough to raze mountains to mere rubble.

And then I heard sensei cough.

My chains vanished just as they had appeared and I dropped down to hold sensei.

"It's going to be ok..." I said, trying to assure myself more than him.

All three enemy nins were dead, and in the wake of the disaster, only two of the previous seven guards including Fuyuki had survived.

The princess and my two teammates were also coming around, running towards us.

"Just take deep breathes sensei," my hands were shaking, trying to hold him close to me for just a bit longer "Its just a scratch… nothing serious."

"I… I don't have much time left, N...Naruto" his eyes were wet, tears dripping down the sides of those pure orbs.

"Shhhh... It'll be all right" by now everyone was around us.

"M...Minato-Sama would have been proud" blood trickled out from the corner of his lips despite my best attempt at cleaning it again and again.

"In the name of Sandaime Hokage" He continued with a small cough "I... I name you Namikaze Naruto, tokubetsu jōnin of the village hidden in the leaf."

"May the will of fire burn bright in you." with blood dripping down his mouth; he tightened his hand around mine, "Y...you were the best student I could have asked for."

His hand loosened, and his chest fell.

I held on to him, waiting for a miracle to happen. Something - anything to make me wake up from this terrible dream. I would have given anything to see that smile just one more time.

I let my shaking hands caress his face for one last time, closing his eyelids and wiping the blood around his lips.

For the first time since I can recall, I felt something wet trail across my cheeks, and I felt something in me break.

Sensei was gone, and it was my fault.

If only I had been better.

I kept staring at sensei, begging Kami to give him back to me. To return me the only person I ever truly cared for.

Nothing happened.

I had no idea when Kurama came to my side or when she pulled me in a hug, or for that matter how long was I in her embrace.

My memories became a distorted mess, and for the longest time, I had no idea what was happening around me.

Things around me seemed to pass in a haze.

I remembered sitting under a tree, the princess holding my hand and telling me how everything would be ok.

I remembered Kurama channeling her chakra into the soil and opening a grave for sensei to lay in.

I remembered myself cleaning the blood off his body and helping the two remaining bodyguards lower sensei into his final resting place.

From then on, it was all a blur.

The next time I opened my eyes and looked around I found us resting in a camp. The night seemed to have settled down, and I heard voices from the outside.

"...viously, he is in no condition to lead us anywhere." A familiar sound came. The boy, for it was undoubtedly a male, seemed frustrated.

"We have already discussed this!" Kurama, this time, I was sure, "We were all there when sensei promoted him."

"You and I both know, he is unfit for duty" the voice once again hissed "Sensei was dying. He was delirious."

A sharp sound of flesh hitting flesh was the last thing I heard before I once again fell unconscious.

The next time I woke up, it was early hours of the dawn.

Turning around to get a good look of where I was resting, I found my female teammate sleeping at a distance.

Silently I got up and opened the flap of the tent.

Outside I found another tent at a distance; this one looked to be that of the princess. One of the two remaining guards were stationed outside looking for anything suspicious.

Hiding as best as I can, I moved to the other side of our tent. At a distance, I found Nara sleeping on a tree.

He looked battered and bruised with his arms in a make-shift sling.

Moving further into the woods, I came across a clearing; I seemed to remember from my dreams.

Unknowingly, I began retracing my steps, the leisurely walk turning into a chakra enhanced sprint.

The trees whizzed by, my instincts driving me to an unknown location.

An hour later, I found myself once again standing in front of an unmarked grave.

Judging from the soil, the body was buried at most fifteen to eighteen hours ago.

'Why?' I thought as I sat before the grave.

My thoughts were blank as I stared into the soil, this time with neither anger nor sadness.

After a while, I let the more mechanical side of my brain turn to autopilot. There was something I had to do.

I started digging the grave until a rotting smell permeated the air around me.

Removing the last few inches of soil with my hand, I looked at the once beautiful face of my sensei.

Moving my hand to cup his face, I let my two thumbs rest on his eyes.

Don't worry sensei; I'll become the best student. I'll make sure the world never forgets your name. You'll live through me.

Closing my eyes, I pushed my thumbs with all my might, feeling the eyeballs give way under my digits.

Getting out of the grave, I looked at the swelling corpse lying in the shallow pit.

"Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu."

May you find peace, sensei.

Letting the grave collapse with simple a Doton technique, I turned back to the direction of the camp.

I knew exactly what needed to be done.

At the camp I found Kurama and Nara looking for me. The princess was sitting on a cushion looking at me from the side of her eyes.

Remembering my last conversation with her, I gave her a small smile before turning back to my two teammates.

"We should return," it was Nara who started "Kurama, pack the tents. This mission is way beyond us."

"No."

"What do you mean, No?" He snarled "the mission has barely started, and sensei is already dead, returning is the only logical choice."

Kurama looked sharply at Nara.

For all his pettiness and brilliance, Nara was but a child. He was terrified and him lashing at us was the only way he knew how to express how afraid he was.

The two guards had gone still waiting to see what would happen.

Turning towards the Nara, I closed my eyes for a moment before opening them and letting some of my killing intent loose.

"I. Am. Your. Commander" I pronounced each word with force, letting them sink "And you would do well not to question me."

"Kurama, pack the tents." I said without turning toward her, "The mission continues."

Kurama hesitated for a moment but nodded before turning back towards the tent.

After a while Nara too broke the eye contact and turned to follow his female companion.

Seeing the tension break, the guards were back at ease and followed by the unspoken command, going back to the tent to pack everything up, leaving the princess with me.

The princess too stole a few gazes towards me before getting up and hurriedly heading back to her tent.

I would not let your final mission be marked a failure, sensei.

* * *

 **Muse:**

Like it? Hate it? Review and share your opinions…

Come on guys, why does everyone portray Kabuto as a villain, give him a break would you. He was an accomplished doctor and a spymaster. He was a genius in his own right.

Virtual cookie if you guessed whom the 'librarian' worked for.

I don't know if any of you noticed, but our favorite protagonist always refers to everyone using their last name. Everyone, except a select few. A virtual cookie to anyone who tells me the names of his "precious people" and your theory as to why they are on that list.

Any guesses as to who is the older woman Nuroto was told Kabuto about?

Fun-fact: Tenten had grey eyes in the manga, but in the anime, they changed it to brown.

Fuyuki, in Japanese, is a name related to winter, strength, and tree.

Yukino, in Japanese, is a name related to snow and beauty.

A small peek at my version of Akatsuki. As for their plans, hmmm... I'll reveal them later.

Here we see a glimpse of Naruto's prowess and development after the chūnin exams. REVIEW and let me know if the fight sequence was good enough.

Also, that was just a couple of ANBU level ninja fighting. Imagine how far I'd go when someone like Nagato comes.

About Hizashi…. umm… oopsie-daisy?

Bet no one saw THAT coming.

Someone reviewed _"Naruto's line of thought is what I would call borderline insanity!"_ lol, you have no idea how deep, dark, and twisted this story is going to be.

Now that Hizashi is dead, no one is there to rein in his darkness.

The story is going to be much more serious from this point on.

To the random guest who reviewed: _"Why is Konoha weak? Is it the numbers? Because as far as S ranked nin are concerned Konoha has 3( and Jiraiya is very very powerful as canon is proof of that! He would defeat Pain if he knew about the various paths even Nagato said that!)"_

Think of it like this, just because a country(let us assume an imaginary one, say… Horth Rokea) has a nuclear bomb doesn't mean it is strong.

It takes more than just a few powerful men to label a country strong. Hope it answered your question.

PS. Last night I was looking for a fic with Kyūbi in it. Going through the fics, I was horrified at finding stories depicting the ancient mass of chakra as 'she'; and to top it off, the manifestation of hatred seemed to have 'blushed' and developed 'romantic' feelings for Naruto as soon as they met.

What the actual f**k, guys?

It was all I could do to stop retching in horror.

Their living span alone should have stopped anyone from typing that sh*t, if not that, at least consider the fact that they are both completely different beings. It's like saying a person developed feelings for a rat.

Anyways, enough of my rantings.

See you soon.

Stay tuned.

Cheers,

Clumsy Psychopath


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